EssaysinaSeriesofLetters 10000650

E S S AY S
IN A
S E RI E S O F L E T T E R S .
J O H N F O S T E R,
‘
AU T HO R OF AN E S S AY ON P O P U LAR ( I G N O R A N C E ; &0 .
T HE T ENTH ED ITI O N .
0 L O ND O N
[
HO L D S W O RT H AND B AL L ,
AM E N CO RNE R , P AT E R N O ST E R RO W .
M DCC C ! ! ! III .
A DV E R T I S E M E N T .
P E RHAP S it will be thought that pieces

writte n so much i n the manner of se t c om
positions as the following should not have
,
been denominated L etters ; it may therefore

be proper to sa y that they are so called
,
because they were actually addressed t o a

friend They were written however with an
.
i n tention to put them in print if W hen they

, ,
were finished the writer could persuade him

,
self that they deserved i t ; and the temper of

even the most inconsiderable pretenders to
literature in these times is too well known
for any one to be surprised that he c ou ld so
persuade himself .
When he began these letters his intention ,
w a s to confine himself within such limits that ,
essays o n t w elv e o r fifteen subjects might be

co mprised in a volume B u t he soon fo u nd that
.
so n arr o w a space would exclude many illus
t ra t i on s not le s s a ppro
f
pr i a t e o r useful t han a n y
w hich would be i n tr o duced .

iv ADVE RT I SE M E NT .
It will not seem a very natural manner

of commencing a course of letters to a friend ,
to enter formally o n a subj ect in the first

sentence . I n excuse for this abruptness it
may be mentioned that there w a s an intro
,
du c t o r y letter ; but as it was written i n the

presumption that a considerable variety o f
subj ects would be treated in the compass of
a moderate number o f letters it is omitted , ,
as not being adapted t o precede what is exe

c u t e d in a manner so di f ferent from the design .
When writing which has occupied a con

si de r a ble length and has been interrupted by
,
considerable intervals of time which is a lso

, ,
on very di fferent subj ects and was perhaps ,
meditated under the influence o f di fferent cir

c u m st a n c e s
, is at last all gone over in o n e
short course o f perusal this immediate suc ,
cession and close comparison make the writer

sensible o f some things o f which he w a s not
aware in the slow separate stages o f the pr o
gress. O n thus bringing the following essays
under o n e review the writer perceives some
,
reason to apprehend that the spirit o f the

,
third may appear so different fro m that o f the

second as to give an impression o f something
,
like inconsistency The second may be thought

.
to have an appearance o f representing that a

man may e ffect almost every thing the third ,
that he can e ffect scarcely an y thing But .
the Writer would sa y that the one does not

,
A D VE R TI S E MEN T . V
assert th e effi cacy o f hu m an resolution and

effort under the same conditions under which
the other asserts their i n e ffic a c y ; and that
therefore there is no real contrariety between
the principles o f the two ess ays F rom the .
evidence o f history and familiar experience

w e kno w that under certain conditions and
, ,
within certain limits ( strait ones indeed ) an

, ,
enlightened and resolute human spirit has great

power this greatness being relative to the
,
measure s of things Within a small sphere ;

while it is equally obvious that this enlight
ened and resolute spirit if disregarding these
,
conditions and att empting to extend its agency

,
over a much wider sphere shall find i t s power

,
b a fl e d and annihilated till it draws back W ithi n

,
the boundary N ow the great power of the

.
human mind within the narrow limit b e i n g fo r -

r
c i bl and largely insisted o n at one time and

y ,
its impo tence beyond that limit at another , ,
the assemblage o f sentimen t s and e x emplific a

tions most adapted to illustrate (and without ,
real o r considerable exaggeration ) that power ,
alone will form apparently so strong a con

,
trast wi th the assemblage o f thoughts and facts

proper for illustrating that imbecility alone ,
that on a superficial view the two r epr e sen

t a t i o n s may appear contradictory The author .
appeals to the experience o f such thin king

men as are accustomed to commit their thoughts
to writing whether sometimes o n co m paring
, ,
6
vi ADV E RT I S E M E NT .
t he pages in which they had endeavoured to

place o n e trut h in the strongest light with ,
those in whic h they have endeavoured a strong

but yet not extravagant exhibition o f another ,
they have n o t felt a momentary difficulty to

reconcile them even while satisfied of t he su b
,
st a n t i a l justness of both The whole doctrine

.
on any extensive moral subj ect n ecess a rily

includes two views which may be considered
as its extremes ; and if these are strongly
stated quite apart from their relations to each
other both the representations m a y be per
,
fe c tly true and yet m a y req u ire in order to

, ,
’
the reader s perceiving their consistency a r e ,
collection of many intermediate ideas .
In the fourth essay it was not intended to

,
take a comprehensive or systematic view of the

causes contributing to prevent the candid a t
tention and the cordial admission due t o evan
g el i c a l religion
,
but simply to select a few which
’
had particularly attracted the writer s observa
tion O ne or two more would have been spe
.
c i fie d and slightly illustrated if the essay had

,
not been already too long .

A DV E R T I S E M E NT
T O T HE NI N T H EDI T I ON .
As it is signified in the title page that the -
book is corrected in this edition it may,

n ot be
impertinent to indicate by a few sentences the
nature and a mount of the correction . After
a revisal which introduced a number of small
verbal alterations in one of the later of the
preceding editions the writer had been
,
wi l
ling to believe himself excused from an y re
petition of that kind of task . But when it

was becoming probable that the new edition
now printed would be called for ,
an acute
literary friend strongly recommended on e more
and a final revisal; enforci ng his r ec o m m e n da
tio n by pointing out in various places

, , what
the writer readily acknowledged to be faults
b 2
A D VE R TI S EMENT TO
in the composition . This determined him to

try t he effect of a care ful inspection through
ou t w ith a vie w to such an abatement o f the
imperfections of the book as might make him ,
decidedly content to let it go without any

future revision .
In this operation there has been no attempt

at novelty beyond such slight changes and
diminutive additions as appeared necess ary in
order to give a more exact or full expression of
the sense . There is not probably more

, ,
of any
thing that could properly be called new than ,
might be contained i n half -

a- d ozen pages . Cor
r ec t i on , in the strict sense has been the obj ect
,
.
S entences , of ill ordered construction

-
,
or loose
or inconsequential in their connexion , have
bee n attempted to be reformed . In some in
stances a sentence has been abbreviated , in

others a little extended by the insertion of a n
explanatory or qualifying clause . Here and

there a sentence has been substituted fo r on e
that was n ot easily reducible to the exact

direction of the line of thought , or appeared
feeble in expression . In several instances some
modification ha s been required to obviate a ,
T HE N INTH E DITION .
seeming or real inconsistency with what is S a id

in other places . This part of the process may
have taken of
f in such instances somewhat of
the cast of force and spiri t exhibited , or at
tempted in the former mode of expression ; and

might have been obj ected to as a deterioration ,
by a person not aware of the reason for the

change . Here and there an epithet or a com ,
bination of words bordering

, on e xtravagance ,
has yielded to t he dictate of the maturer judg

m ent ,
or more fastidious taste , or less st i mu
lated feelings of advanced life and given place

, ,
to a somewhat moderated language . The gene

ral course of thought is n ot affected by these
v
m inutealterations ; except that ( a s the writer ,
would persuade himself ) it is in parts a little ,
more distinctly and palpably brought out . The

endeavour has been to disperse an
y mists that
appeared to lie on the pages that the ideas ,
might present themselves in as defined a form

as the writer could give to any of the m which
had seemed obscure ,
and ine ffective to their
obj ect from indeterminate
,
or involved enuncia
tion . In the revi sed diction as in the original ,
writing ,
he has designedly an d const a ntly
! A D V E R TI S E ME NT .
avoided certain artificial forms of phraseology ,
much in conventional use among even good

writers ; and aimed at falling on the words
most immediately naturally and simply appro
, ,
ri a t e to the thoughts
p .
If hi s book be of a quality to impart any

useful instr u ction he will hope that the benefit
,
may be conveyed with perhaps a little more

clearness and facility in consequence of these
,
last corrections it will receive from his han d .
Ja n u a ry, 1 8 3 0 .
C O NT E NT S
E SS AY I .
’
ON A MAN S W RI T I N G M E M O I R S O F HI M E L F S .
L ETT E R I .
‘
Afle c ti on a te in t r st wi th which w r v rt t our p s t
e e It e e e o a
d s rv s
e e bri f r cord f our own
e a e — V ry f w t hings t
e b or u se e e o e
no t d f th mul t i tu d th t h v occurr d — Dir c t ion d

e o e e a a e e e an u se
o f such r vi w would b r quir d f wri ting M moir

a e e as e e e or a e .
I mpor t nc f our p s t lif consi d r d

a e o th b gi nning f a e e e as e e o an
e n dl ss dur tion f xi s t nc G n r l d fici ncy f s lf bs rv

e a o e e e .
-
e e a e e o e -
o e a
t ion —O blivion
. f th gr t s t numb r f our p s t f lings
o e ea e e o a ee .
O cc sion l glimps s
a a f vivi d r coll c t ion — A ssoci t ions wi th
e o e e . a
t hings d pl c — T h diff r n t
an d unknown ssoci t ions f
a es e e e an a a o
di ff r n t p rsons wi th th s m pl c s
e e e P 1 e a e a e AG E .
L ETT E R II .
A ll p st li f
a duc t io n — Discip
e in
l d
an influ nc frome— dir c t a e an e e e
ins truction comp nio hip books sc n s f n t ur — d t h

-
a ns - — e e o a e an e
s t t f i ty
a e o so c e p 13
L ETT ER II I .
V e rypow rful impr ssions som tim s from p r ticul r f c ts t n ding

e e e e a a a , e
to form discrimin t d ch r c t r Y t v ry f w s t rongly di

a e i a a e s — e e e sc r
mi t d n a e d in divi du l ch r c t rs foun d — M os t p rsons b long

an a a a e . e e
t g n r l cl ss s f ch r c t r — I mm ns numb r
o e e a a e o d div rsi ty f
a a e . e e e an e o
impr ssions f in d finit ly v rious t n d ncy which th mor l

e ,
o e e a e e ,
e a
b ing h un d rgon in th cours f lif — M ight b xp c t d

e as e e e e o e e e e e
th t ah con fusion f infl nc s would t p rmi t th f rm tion

su c a o ue e n o e e o a
o f y s
an t tl d c h r e c t r — T h t such
e c h r c t r
a ais n v r t hel ss. a a a a e ,
e e e e ,
C ON T E N T S .
a cq ir d d m in t in d is owing t som
u e an l ding d t rmin
a a e ,
o e on e ea e e a
t ion giv n by wh t v r m ns t th min d g n r lly in

,
e rly lifa e e ea ,
o e ,
e e a ea e .
—C m s lf d c p tiv b li f th t w h v m in t in d mor l
o 1n o n e -
e e e e e a e a e a a e a
r c ti tu d
e d th x rcis f soun d r son un d r th impr ssions
e, an e e e e o ea ,
e e e
t h t h v b n forming our c h r c t rs
a a e ee p 2 4 a a e . .
L ETT ER IV .
M os t influ nc s un d r which th ch r c t rs f m
of the e forming e e e a a e o en are
un f vour bl t wis dom vir tu

a a d h ppin ss
e Proof f this i f
o ,
e, a n a e .
-
o
a numb r f p rsons suppos e h n dr d w r t

o giv e cl r ,
e a u e ,
e e o e a ea
accoun t f th circums t nc s th t h v mos t ff c t d th s t t f

o e a e a a e e e e e a e o
th ir min d — A f w
e x mpl s — mis n thropis t
s l y p j e e a e a a — a az re u
dic d think r
e m f ncying hims l f g nius
e -
p j t
a an a e a e -
a ro ec or m an
ant iqu ry in xc ss — p tty tyr n t

a e p 37
e a e a .
L ETT ER V .
A n A th is t ig sk tch
e .
-
Sl ht e of the proc ss by which m
e a an in th e
humbl r or d r f bili t i s
e e o a e an d a tt a inm n ts m y b com
e a e e on e . p 45 .
L ETT E R VI .
T he influ nc f R ligion coun t r ct d by lmost llo th r i fl

e eo e e a e a a e n u en c es.
P nsiv r fl c tions on th imp rf c t m nif st tion f th Supr m

e e e e e e e a e a o e e e
B ing— e th i fli y f
ou th b li f f suc h b eing — t
n eh cac o e e e o a e on e
s tr ng n ss f th t i ffi y d on th d b s m n t d i f li
a e e o a n e ca c — an e e a e e an n e
ci ty cons qu n t on i t — Happin ss f d vou t m

e e p 55 . e o a e an .
L ETT ER VII .
S l knowl dg b ing suppos d th princip l obj c t in wri ting th

e f -
e e e e e a e e
m moir th tr in f x t rior fortun s d ctions will cl im b t

e , e a o e e e an a a u a
subor din t no tic i i t If i t w r in t n d d f th mus m n t

a e e n .
-
e e e e or e a e e
f th public th wri t r woul d d w ll t filli t r th r w i th inci d n t

o e , e e o e o a e e
d c t io — Y t th m r m n t l his t ory f som m

an a n woul d b
e e e e e a o e en e
in t r s t ng t r fl c ting r d rs— f m f x mpl f

e e i o e e ea e o a an ,
or e a e, o a
sp cul tiv disposition wh h p ss d through m ny ch ng s f

e a e
,
o as a e a a e o
opinio — I fl nt h t w rp opinion — Eff c t s

n f t im
u en c e s d a a . e o e an
xp ri nc on th no t ions d f lings ch rish d in rly lif

e e e e e an ee e e ea e.
F lings f s nsibl ld m
ee on vi wing pic tur f hi own
o a e e o an e a e o s
min d dr wn by hims l f wh n h w youn g — F ilur f xc ll n t

a e e e as a e o e e e
d signs ; dis ppoin tm n t f s nguin hop — D gr

e a f xplici tn ss e o a e es e ee o e e
r quir d in th r cord C onsci nc — Impud nc d c n ting f ls

e e
pr t nc s f m ny wri t rs f con f ssions —R ouss u

e e e o
e
a
e
p 66
—
e o
“ e e
e
.
.
e e an
ea
a a
.
e
C ONT E NT S .
E SS AY I I .
O N DE C ISION OF C HA R A C T E R .
L ETT ER I .
Ex mpl s f th distr ss d humili tion incid n t t

a e o e irr solute an a e o an e e
min d Such min d c nno t b s i

— . d t b long i s l M nn r
a t t f— a e a o e o e a e
in which m f d cisiv spiri t d lib r t s d p ss s in t o c tion

a an o e e e e a e ,
an a e a .
—C s r Such
ae a spirit pr v n t s th fr tting w y in h r ssing
— a e e e e a a a a
.
,
l t rn tions f will f th nim t d f lings r quir d f sus t ining

a e a o , o e a a e ee e e or a
th i gour f c tion — A v r t s imp r t in n t in t rf r nc — A cquir s

e v o a . e e e e e e e e ,
i f fr from h rshn ss f m nn r
ee un dispu t d d b n fici l
a e o a e ,
an e an e e a
sc n d ncy ov r ssoci t s — I t l s t r so rc infl xibl p ti

a e e e a a e . s a e u e e e er n a
ci ty — Ins t nc in m on j y a e a p 8 9 an a ur . . .
L ETT ER II .
Bri f inquiry in to th const itu n ts f this comm n ding qu lity

e e e o a a .
Physic l consti t tion — Possibility n v r th l ss f firm min d in

a u .
, e e e e ,
o a
’
af bl bo dy
ee C fid e in m n s own judgm n t — This
-
on en c e a a e . an
uncommon distinc tio — Pictur f m wh w n t s i t —This n e o a an o a .
confi d nc dis tinguish d from obstin cy — P r tly foun d d on p

e e e a . a e ex e
i — T k s
r en c e high t on f in d p n d nc in d vising sch m s
a e a e o e e e e e e e .
Di str essi n g di lem m a s .
L ETT ER 111 .
En rgy
e of feeling
n c ss ry confi d nc f opinio — C on duc t
as e e a as e e o n
"
th t r sul t s from th ir combin t ion —Effec t

a e d v lu f ruling e a . an a e o a
p ssio G r t d cision f ch r c t r inv st s v n wick d b ings

a n — ea e o a a e e e e e e
wi th som thing which w et mp t d t dmir — S t n e are e e o a e . a a .
Z ng — A Sp nish ss ssi — R m rk bl
a a . x mpl f this qu lity
a a a n e a a e e a e o a
in m wh wa pro dig l d b c m poor b t turn d

an o as a a an e a e , u e
mis r d b c m rich —How rd — Whi t fi ld Chris ti n mis

e an e a e . a . e e .
-
a
si on a r i es
L ETT ER IV .
C ur g
o achi f cons titu n t f th ch r ct r —Eff c t f this in
e a e e o e a a e . e o en
count ring c nsur e d ri dicul — A lm gro Pi rro

e d De an e . a ,
za , an e
L q u — D fiu eS f d ng r
. L u th r D ni l — A no th r i
e an c e o a e .
-
e .
— a e . e n
disp ns bl r quisi t t d cision i th full gr m n t f ll th

e a e e e o e s e a ee e o a e
pow rs f th min d — L dy M cb th — Rich r d II I — C romw ll

e o e a a e a . e .
A f th r wh h d th oppor tuni ty f s ving

— a e f t w sons
o a e o a on e o o
p 1 26 .
C ON TEN T S .
L ETT E R V .
Fo rm i da ble pow r f mischi f which this high qu lity giv s t b d

e o e a e o a
m enC r r quir d t pr v n t i t r n d ring goo d m

.
-
a e e ie o e e s e e en u n c on c
li t i g
a d ov rb rin g
n an In d p n d nc d ov rruling m nn r i
e ea — e e e e an e a e n
consult tion L or d C h th m D cision f ch r c t r t i m

a .
-
a a .
— e o a a e n o n co
p tibl wi th s nsibili ty d mild m nn rs — B t prob bly t h

a e e an a e . u a e
m jori ty f th mos t min n t x mpl s f i t d fici n t in th k in d r

a o e e e e a e o e e e e
aff c tions
e ! ing f Prussi —Si tu t ions in whic h i t m
.
-
y bo a . a a e an
a bsolu t duty t et in opposi tion t th promp t ings f thos

o ac o e o e
”
‘
a fleC ti on S 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0
P 138
L ETT ER VI .
C ircums t nc s t n ding t consolid t this Ch r c t r — O pposi tion

a e e o a e a a e . .
D s r tion M rius S t n Ch rl s d M oo — Succ ss h th

e e .
— a .
— a a .
— a e e n e as e
s m t n d ncy C s r H bi t f ssoci ting wi th i f riors

a e e e .
— ae a .
— a o a a n e .
V olun ta ry m ns f forming or con forming this ch r c t r — T h

ea o a a e . e
a cquisi tion f p rf c t knowl dg in th d p rtm n t i which w

o e e e e e e a e n e
are t t — T h cul tiv tion f

o ac conn c t d d conclusiv m nn r
e a o a e e an e a e
o f r sonin g — T h r solu t comm nc m n t f c tion in

ea m nn r
e e e e e e o a , a a e
t o commi t urs lv s irr tri v bly L dy rd — T h choic f

o e e e e a .
-
e a . e e o a
dignifi d or d r f conc r s
e Th pprob tion f consci nc — Y t
e o e n .
-
e a a o e e e
m l ncholy t consi d r h w m ny f th mos t dis tinguish d pos

e a o e o a o e e
s e ssors of th qu li ty h v b n wick d e a
p 1 48 a e ee e . .
E S S AY I I I .
ON T HE A P P L I C AT I O N or T HE EP IT HE I
' ‘
RO M ANT I C .
L ETT E R I .
Gr ea tconv ni nc f h ving numb r f words th t will nsw r

e e e o a a e o a a e
th purpos s f ri dicul or r prob tion wi thou t h ving

e e o
y pr cis e e a a an e e
m ning Puri t n —M tho dis t— J cobin — T h wor d R om n tic

ea . a e a . e a
o f t h gr t s t s rvic t p rsons w h w n t ing t show th ir scorn

e ea e e e o e ,
o, a o e ,
h v a t wh r wi th l in th w y f s ns or wi t — Wh n v r this
e n o e e a e a o e e . e e e
e pi th t is ppli d l t th x c t m ning b d m n d d Do s i t
e a e ,
e e e a ea e e a e -
e
a ttribu t t wh t i t is
e, ppli d t th kin d f bsurdity pr v l n t
o a a e o, e o a e a e
in th works c ll d R om nc s — Th t bsurdi ty w from th

e a e a e
?
a a as e
pr domin nc in v rious mo d s f im gin tion ov r ju dgm n t

e a e, a e ,
o a a e e .
M n t l ch r c t r f th rly Rom nc wri t r — O pposi t ch r c t r

e a a a e o e ea a e e s e a a e
o f C rv n t — D light f l d lusiv
e a es d mischi vous op r t ion f
e u ,
e e, a n e e a o a
pr domin n t im gi n ation — Y t d sir bl f s v r l r sons th t

e a a . e e a e, or e e a ea ,
a
t h im gin t ion s houl d h v this sc n d ncy in

e a a rly lif p 1 6 9 a e a e e ea e .
C ON TENT S . ! V
L ETT E R II .
On e mo d s f this sc n d ncy jus tly c ll d R om n tic is th

of the e o a e e a e a , , e
un foun d d p rsu sion f som thing p culi r d x tr ordin ry in

e e a o e e a an e a a a
’
p rson s d s tiny This v in xp c t tion m y b r l at iv t gr t
e e .
-
a e e a a e e e o ea
t l nt
a e d chi v m n t or t gr t f lici t y — T hings rd n tly n t i
an a e e e ,
o ea e . a e a
cip t d which
a e t only c nno t b tt in d b t woul d b
n o n d pt d a e a a e ,
u e u a a e
t th n t ur
o d con di t ion f m
e a if th y coul d — A p rson th t
e an o an e . e a
hop d t t d r th r th n imi t t G r gory L op

e o ou -
o th h rmi ta e a a e e e z, e e .
Absurd xp c t tions f p r nt — U t opi n n ticip tions f philo

e e a o a e s a a a o
soph r — Pr c t ic l bsurdi ty f th g f chiv lry — T h t

e s a a a o e a e o a . e ex r a v a
g n t d xclusiv p ssion f wh t is gr n d
a an e p 1 87
e a or a a .
L ETT ER III .
T he pi th t pplic bl t hop s d proj c t s inconsist n t wi th th

e e a a e o e an e e e
known r l tions b tw n n ds d m n — R ckoning on h ppy

e a e ee e an ea s e a
c su l ti — M using on inst nc s f goo d luck — N ov ls go mor

a a es a e o e e
th n h l f th l ng th f t h ol d r R om nc in promo ti ng t his p
a a e e o e e a e er
i i
n c ou s t n d ncy f th min d — Sp cim n f wh t t h y d in t his
e e o e e e o a e o
w y a F ncy m gnifi s th sm ll s t m ns in t o
.
-
a a pp r n t com e e a e ea an a a e
p t
e en c e t th gr t s t n ds T
o his d lusiv
e c lcul t ion
ea e
p t t b e .
-
e e a a a o e
a dmi tt d in sch m s f b n vol nc — Proj c t s f civili ing s v g

e e e o e e e e e or z a a e
n t ion — Ex tr v g n t exp c t tions f th ffic cy f dir c t instru

a s a a a e a o e e a o e o
t ion in th l ssons f duc t ion

,
ed in pr ching —R form rs pt
e o e a ,
an ea . e e a
t ov rr t th p w r f m n — T h f ncy bou t th omnipo t nc

o e a e e o e o ea s e a a e e e
f t ru th — O xp ct tions ght t b limit d by wh t w c tu lly

f
o ur e e a ou o e e a e a a
se e a n d know f hum n n t r — E s t im t f th t n t r
o Pr v a a u e a e o a a u e -
e e
l nc f p ssion d pp tit g ins t conviction

e e o a an p 2 00 a e e a a .
L ETT ER IV .
Christi nity th gr n d ppoint

a m n f r forming the world — B t
e a a ed ea o e u
th ug h th r ligion i t s l
o fb communic tion from h v n th
e e e e a a ea e ,
e
administr t ion f i t by hum n g n t s is t b

a consid r d
o a a e o e e e as a
m r ly hum n m n xc p ting so f
e e a sp ci l divin ea ,
e e ar as a e a e
en rgy is m d t ccomp ny i t I t comp r tiv ly sm ll

e a e o a a . s a a e a
succ ss prov s in wh t
e x tr m ly limit d m sur th t n rgy
e a an e e e e ea e a e e ,
as
y t ccomp ni
e , s i t — Impo t nc
a f m t d w h
a t i t l v s
e . e e o an o o a ea e
un don — Ir t ion l t xp c t from i t p rogr ssiv dminis tr tion

e . ra a o e e s e e a a
a m sur f succ ss in d finit ly su p ssing th pr s n t st t f i t

ea e o e e e r a e e e a e o s
op r ti ons ti llw
e a som signs f gr t ch ng in th Divin
, e se e e o a ea a e e e
G ov rnm nt f th world — F olly f proj c ts t r form m nkind

e e o e o e o e a
which discl im R ligio — N o thing in hum n n tur t m t d

a e n a a e o ee an
giv ff c t t th sch m s d xp di nt s f th mor l r volu tion

e e e o e e e an e e e o e a e
i t s W r tch d s t t f th t n t ur — S mpl f th bsurd s t i

.
-
e e a e o a a e. a e o e a e
m t s f i t con di ti on by th irr ligious m n d rs f soci ty p 2 2 2

a e o s e e e e o e . .
xvi C ON TE N T S .
L ETT ER V .
M l ncholy
e a consol tion mids t th mys t rious
re flec ti on s — No a a e e ec o
momy b t in ssur nc t h t
u infinit ly goo d B ing pr si d s
an a a e a an e e e e ,
an d will t l ng th op n t
a w mor l worl d — Y t m ny mor l
e e ou a n e a e a a
proj c tors e solici tous t k p th ir sch m s f th m n dm n t

a re o ee e e e or e a e e
o f th worl d cl r f
e
y r f r nc t t h A lmig
ea h t y
— E v n goo d
o an e e e e o e e
m en guil ty f pl cing t much d p n d nc on s bordin t

are o a oo e e e e u a e
pow rs d g n t — T h r pr s n t tions in this Ess y t in t n d d

e an a e s e e e e a a n o e e
t od pr ci t t no thing t h wor th
e e a e d f t h whol s t ock f
o e an u se o e e o
m ns b t t r duc th m d th ff c ts t b xp c t d fro m
ea ,
u o e e e ,
an e e e o e e e e
th m t e sob r s t im t —A humbl thing t b m — In ul

,
o a e e a e . e o e a an . e
c tion f d vou t submission d dilig nc

a o e d pr y r —Sublim ,
an e e, a n a e . e
qu lity d in d fini t ffic cy f this l s t

a an m n —C onclusion ;
e e e a o a , as a ea .
bri fly m king t f w g n r l ch r ct rs f s n tim n t d

e ar ou a e e e a a a e o e e an
a c tion t which though v ry uncommon th pi th t R om n tic is

o ,
e ,
e e e a
u n u stl li ed
j y pp a 234
E SS A Y I V .
ON S OM E OF T HE C A U S E S B Y W HI C H E VA N G E L I C A L RE L IG I O N
HAS B E E N R E N D E R E D U N A CC E P T A B L E T O P E R S O N S O F C U L
T I VA T E D T A S TE.
L ETT ER I .
N tur
a ispl c ncy with which som f th mos t p culi r f
e o f the d a e e o e e a ea
t ur s f C hris t i ni ty
e o r g rd d by m ny c l tiv t d m wh
a a re e a e a u a e en ,
o
d t d
o n o ny or doub t th e divin u thori t y f t h r ligio — Bri f e e a o e e n e
no tic f th t rm Ev ng lic l
e o e e p 2 5
a 1 e a . .
L ETT E R II .
On e c us s f th displ c ncy is th t C hris ti ni ty b ing th

of t he a e o e a e ,
a a ,
e e
r ligion f gr t numb r f p rsons f w k d uncul tiv t d

e o a ea e o e o ea an a e
min ds pr s n t s i t doc t rin s t th vi w f m f t st ssoci t d

, e e s e o e e o en o a e a a e
wi th th ch r c t ris tics f thos min ds ; d though som p r ts f

e a a e o e an e a o
t h r ligion ins t n t n ously r d m t h ms lv s from t h t ssoci

e e a a e e ee e e e a a a
t ion by t h ir ph lo sop hic digni ty o th r p r t s m y r q ir

e i con , e a a e u e a
s id b l ffo t t d t ch t h m from i t — T his

e ra e e r sily don if th
o e a e . ea e e
m f t s t w r po w r full p
en o a occupi d d ff c t d by th
e e e e y re -
e an a e e e
r lig o — R fl c tions f
e i n f t h m in this c s — B t th m
e e o on e o e a e u e en
C O NTENT S . xv fi
of now in qu s tion
t a st e t in this c s eS v r l sp cific are n o a e — e e a e
c us s f injurious impr ssion from this ssoci t ion f v ng lic l

a e o e ,
a a o e a e a
doc trin s d s n t i m n t s w i th th in t ll c t u l li t tl n ss f th p
e an e e e e e a e e o e er
sons n t rt ining th
e e —T h ir d fici ncy
a d dislike rn f lls t ic tly
. e e e an e o a r
in t ll c tu l x rcis on r ligion — Th ir r ducing th whol f r li

e e a e e e e . e e e e o e
gion t or t w f vouri t no tions d con tinu lly dw lling

o on e o a e ,
an a e
on th m — T h p rf c t i n diff r nc f som f th m t g n r l
e . e e e e e e o e o e o e e a
knowl dg v n wh n t d sti tut f m ns f cquiring i t ; d

e e, e e e n o e e o ea o a an
t h cons qu n t volun t ry
e e d con t n t d pov r ty f t h ir r ligious
e a an e e e o e e
i d s d l ngu g — Th ir dmir tion fthi gs in lit r ry s ns

ea an a a e e a a o n a e a e e
u tt rly b d — Th ir compl c ncy in th ir d fi i i — T h ir i

e a e a e e e c e n c es e n
judicious h bit s d c r moni — Th ir unfortun t m t phors

a an e e es e a e e a
an d simil s — Sugg s t ion t r ligious t ch r th t t h y shoul d

e . e t o e ea e s, a e n o
run t i t l st possibl xt n t th p r ll l b tw n th pl sur s f

o s a e e e e a a e e ee e ea e o
pi ty d thos f t ing d drinkin g — M ischi f f such p

e an e o ea an e o ra c
t ic es — Eff c t f th ungr cious collision b tw n uncul t iv t d

e o e a e ee a e
s niors d young p rson f li t r ry d philosophic t st

e an a e o e a an a e.
Expos t l t ion wi th this in t ll c t u l young p rson on th folly

u a d e e a e ,
e an
guilt f suff ring hi min d t t k th impr ssion f v ng lic l

o e s o a e e e o e a e a
r ligion from y thing which h knows t b in f rior t th t

e an e o e e o a
r ligion i t s lf
e xhibit d by th N w T s t m n t d by th
e , as e e e e e a e ,
an e
mos t l v t d fi t
e e a e o s 260
L ETT E R III .
Ano th r c us
e P culi ri ty f L ngu g dop t d in r eligious di
a e, the e a o a a e a e s
cou s d writi g — C l ssic l s t n d r d f l ngu g

r e an T h th o
n a a a a o a a e .
—
e e
logic l d vi tion from i t b rb rou — Surpris

a e a d p rpl xi t y f a a s e an e e o a
s nsibl h th n for ign r w h h ving l rn t our l ngu g

e e ea e e e o, a ea a a e ac
cording t i t b st st n d rd lon shoul d b in tro duc d t h r

o s e a a a e, e e o ea a
public v ng lic l discours — Dis tinc tiv ch r ct rs f this Th o

e a e a e e a a e o e
logic l Di l c t — R sons g inst mploying i t — C omp t nc f

a a e . ea a a e . e e e o
our l ngu g t xpr ss ll r ligious i d s w i thou t th i d f this

a a e o e e a e ea e a o
uncou p culi ri y A dv n t g s th t woul d tt n d th

th t — e a f th
. a a e a a e e u se o e
l ngu g f m r g n r l in t llig nc wi th th ddi tion f

a a e o e e e e a e e e, e a o an ex
t m l
re
y sm ll numb r f wor ds th t m y b consi d r d
e a n c ss ry e o a a e e e as e e a
t chnic l t rms in th ology

e a e 2 92e
L ETT ER IV .
A nsw r e t o the pl
in b h lf f th di l c t in qu stion th t i t is
ea , e a o e a e e ,
a
form d from t h l ngu g

e f th Bibl — D scrip tion ft h m nn r
e a a e o e e e o e a e
in which i t is so form d — This w y f mployi g biblic l l ngu g e a o e n a a a e
v ry diff r t from impl quo t tion G r c a d utility with which

e e en s e a .
-
a e n
xviii C ONT ENT S .
bri f forms f wor ds wh th r s n t nc s or singl phr s s m y b

e o ,
e e e e e e a e , a e
in tro duc d from th Bibl i f th y

e brought in pur pi c s
e e, e are as e e e
an d p r t icl s f th s cr d composi tion

a e ot i our own composi tion
e a e ,
se n
as som thing dis t inc t from i t d for ign t i t B t th biblic l

e an e o .
-
u e a
phr ology in th T h ologic l Di l c t inst d f thus pp ring

as e e e a a e , ea o a ea
in dis tinc t bright poin ts d g ms is mo difi d d mix d up an e , e an e
t hro ghou t th whol consis t nc

u f th dic tion so
e t onc t
e e e o e ,
as a e o
los i t own v n r bl ch r c t r d t giv p rv di ng uncou th

e s e e a e a a e , an o e a e a
n ss w ithou t dignity t th whol composition L t th scrip t ur

e , , o e e . e e e
l ngu g b quo t d o ft n b t t d gr d d in t o b rb rous com

a a e e e e ,
u n o e a e a a a
po n d phr s ology —Ev n i f i t w r dvis bl t cons truct th

u a e . e e e a a e o e
l ngu g f th ologic l ins truct ion in som kin d f r s mbl nc t

a a e o e a e o e e a e o
th t af th Bibl o i t woul d t follo w th t i t shoul d b cons truc t d

e e, n o a e e
in imit tion f th phr s ology f

a on tiqu v rsio — L ic ns t
e a e o an a e e n e e o
v ry ld th ologi ns t r t in in gr t d gr thi s p culi r di

e o e a o e a a ea e ee e a a
l c t — Young on s r comm n d d t l rn t mploy in r ligion th

e e e e e o ea o e e e
l ngu g in which cul tiv t d m t lk d wri t on g n r l b

a a e a e en a an e e e a su
— T h v s t m ss wri ing in compr h nsiv li r ry s ns

j t
ec s f t e a t a o a e e e e a e e
b d on th s bj c t s f v ng lic l th ology
a ,
e u egr t c us f th o e a e a e ,
on e ea a e o e
dis t s t f l t by m
a e f in t ll c t u l
e fi m t — S v r l kin ds f
en o e e a re n e en e e a o
thi b d w i ti g sp cifi d
s a r n e 319 e
L ETT ER V .
A gr n d c us f di spl c ncy ncoun t r d by v ng lic l r ligion

a a e o a e e e e e a e a e
a mong m f t s t is th t th gr t school in which th t t s t is

en o a e ,
a e ea a a e
form d th t f poli t li t r tur

e ,
t k n in th w i d s t s ns
a o f th e e a e, a e e e e e o e
phr s is hos til t th t r ligi on — M o d rn li t r tur in t n d d

a e, e o a e . e e a e e e
princip lly t b nim dv rt d a Bri f no tic f th nci n t

o e a a e e ou — . e e o e a e .
H th n th ology m t physics
ea e d mor li ty — H rml ssn ss fth
e , e a ,
an a . a e e o e
t w for m r ; d c p t iv n s
o f th l st — B t th c hi f influ nc is
e e e e es o e a . u e e e e
from so muc h f th his t ory m y b c ll d Biogr phy

o d from
e as a e a e a , an
th Po try
e Hom r M nn r in which th in t r s t h xcit s is
e .
-
e .
-
a e e e e e e e
h t
osil t t h spiriet f t h C hris
o t i n r ligion
e — V irgil p 3 40 o e a e . .
L ETT ER VI .
L uc n a .
—I n mor l sublimi ty f hi h ro s — Plu t rch
flu en c e of t he a o s e e . a .
Th His tori ns
e A n tichri s ti n ff c t f dmiring th m or l
a .
-
a e e o a e a
gr tn ss f th min n t l th
ea e o Poin t s f ss n ti l diff r nc
e e e rea en s — . o e e a e e e
b tw n xc ll nc ccording t Chris ti principl s

e ee e e e d th
e a o an e , an e
mos t l v t d xc ll nc f th H th ns A unqu lifi d compl

e e a e e e e e o e ea e .
— n a e a
y
c en c in t h l t t r pro duc s li net ion f
a ff c t ione d d mir e an a e a o a e an a a
tion from t h for m r e p 3 59

e .
C ONTENT S . xix
L ETT ER V II .
When communic tion d cl ring th tru th ory f b th r ligion

a a ,
e a e e e o o e
an d mor ls w dmi t t d coming from h v n i t w r son bl

a ,
as a e as ea e ,
as ea a e
to e xp c t th t from th t im f this r v l t ion t th d f th

e a ,
e e o e e a o e en o e
worl d llby whom i t w so dmi tt d woul d b r ligiously c r ful

,
a as a e e e a e
t m in t in in wh t v r th y t ugh t on subj c t s wi thin i t co gui

o a a , a e e e a e s
za n c e , asys t m tic d punc tilious con formi ty t i t principl s

e a an o s e .
A bsurdity impi ty d p rnicious

,
ff c t f disr g rding this
e , an e e e ,
o e a
sov r ig n cl im t con formity — T h gr t s t numb r f our fi

e e a o . e ea e e o n e
wri t rs h v incurr d t his guil t d don this mischi f— Th y

e a e e ,
an e e e are
an tichris ti n in th first pl c by omission ; th y xclu d from

a ,
e a e, e e e
t h ir mor l s n t im n t s t h mo di fyi ng in t rf r nc
e a e f th chris t i n
e e e e e e o e a
principl — Ex t n d d illustr tion f th f c t d f i t cous

es e e a o e a , a
n o s e
L ETT ER V I II .
M or sp cific forms
e e ir con tr ri ty t th principl s f R v l of t he a e o e e o e e a
t io — Th ir g
n dm t Christ i n C on tr st d with St P ul
e oo an n o a a — a e . a .
Th ir th ory f h ppin ss ss n ti lly diff r n t from t h v ng li

e e o a e e e a e e e e a e
ca l — Short s t t m n t f bo th —I mor li ing on li f th y d

. a e et o . n a z e, e o n o
h bi tu lly consi d r
a a d th y pr v n t th ir r d rs from consi d r
e , an e e e e ea e e
ing th pr s n t s t t
,
e int o duc t ory t no th r — Th ir consol
e e a e as r o a e . e a
t ions f dis tr ss ld g
or d d th wi d ly diff r n t on th whol
e ,
o a e, a n ea , e e e ,
e e,
from t hos which cons t i t u t so much f th v lu

e f th G osp l e o e a e o e e .
T h gr n d ur
e d h roism in d th whic h th y h v r pr s n t d
a e an e ea , e a e e e e e
wi th irr sis tibl loqu nc mph tic lly d p rniciously opposi t

e e e e e, e a a an e e
t th christ i n doc trin

o e d x mpl s f sublimi t y
a d h ppin ss e an e a e o an a e
in d t Ex mpl s from t r g dy
h — ea a
p 3 8 9
e a e .
L ETT ER I! .
T he stim t f t h d pr v d mor l con di t ion f hum n n tur i

e a e o e e a e a o a a e s
qui t diff r n t in r v l tion d poli t lit r tur C ons qu n tly

e e e e e a an e e a e .
-
e e ,
th R d mp t ion by J sus C hrist which pp rs wi th such mom n

e e e e , a ea e
t ous impor t nc in th is in comp ri son t i fl in th o th r

a e e on e, , a , a r e e e .
O fi
ur writ rs mploy d justi fy n tichristi n motiv s t ction
n e e e an a a e o a ,
sp ci lly th lov f f m — T h mor li ty f thi s p ssion rgu d

e e a e e o a e e a o a a e .
— Th rn st r pr ssion f i t shown t b
e ea e du ty — Som f
e e o o e a . e o
th light r or d r
e f our popul r wri t rs h v
e i d d th coun t r
e o a e a e a e e e
c tion f li t r tur t v ng lic l r ligion by c r l ss or m lign n t

a o e a e o e a e a e a e e a a
ridicul f things ssoci t d with i t — Bri f no tic f th s v r l

e o a a e . e e o e e e a
! ! C ONT EN T S .
cl ss s
a e wri t rs lying un d r th ch rg f con t ibu ting t
of fin e e , as e e a e o r o
ali n t
e m f t s t from th doc trin s
a e en o ad mor l spiri t f th
e e e an a o e
N w T s t m n t — M or l philosoph rs — His t ori ns — Ess yis t s

e e a e . a e . a . a .
A ddison — Johnson T h Po t — Exc p t ion in f vour f M il ton

. .
-
e e s e a o
& c Pop A n tichris ti n qu li ty fhi Ess y on M m— N ov ls

.
-
e .
— a a o s a a e .
M l ncholy r fl c tions on th R vi w C onclusion

e a e e p 41 9 e e e .
-
.
E S SA Y 1 .
’
ON A M A N S WR ITI NG M EM O I RS O F HI M SEL F .
LE TTER I .
MY D EA R F R IEN D ,
EVE R Y one knows with what interest it is natural

to retrace the course o f our own lives The .
’
past states and periods of a man s being are
retained in a connexion with the present by that
principle of self love which is unwilling to reliu
-
,
ui sh its hold o n what has once been hi s Though

q !
he cannot but be sensible of how little c o n se

u en c e his life can have been in the creation
q ,
compared with many other trains o f events yet ,
he ha s felt it more important to himself than all

other trains together ; and you will very rarely
find him tired o f narrating again t he little history ,
or at least the favourite parts of the littl e history ,
of hi mself .
To turn this partiality to some account I r e ,
collect having prop osed to two or three o f my

friends that they should write each principally
, ,
however for his o w n use memoirs of t heir own

,
lives endeavouring not so much to enumera t e

,
B
’
2 ON A MAN S W R ITIN G
the mere facts and events of life as to di sc r i ,
minate the successive states o f the mind and ,
so trace the progress of what may be called the
character In this progress consists the chief

.
importance o f life ; but even o n an inferior

account also to this o f what the ch a racter has
become and regarded merely as supplying a
,
con stant series o f interests to the a ffections and

passions we have all accounted our life a n i n
,
estimable possession which it deserved incessant

cares and labours to retain and which continues ,
in most cases to be still held with anxious attach

ment What has been the obj ect o f so much
.
partiality and has been delighted and pained by

,
so many emotions might claim even if the , ,
highest interest were o u t o f the question that a ,
S hort memorial should be retained by him who

has possessed it has seen it all to this moment
,
depart and can never recall it

,
.
To write memoirs o f m any years as twenty , ,
thirty o r forty seems at the first glance a very

, , , ,
onerous task T o reap the products of so many

.
acres o f earth indeed might to on e person be , ,
an undertaking o f mighty toil But the mate .
rials o f any value that all past life can supply to

a recording pen would be reduced by a discern
,
ing selection to a very small and modest amount .
Would as much as o n e page o f moderate size

’
be deemed by any man s self importance to be -
due o n an average to each o f the days that he

, ,
has lived ? No man would judge more than

MEMOI RS OF HIM S E L F . 3
one in ten thousand of all his thoughts sayings , ,
and actions worthy to be mentioned if memory

, ,
were capable o f recalling them fi N ecessarily a

I e
very large portion of what has occupied the

successive years o f life was of a kind to b e
utterly useless fo r a history O f it ; being merely
for the a ccommodati on of the time P erhaps .
in the space of forty or fifty years m illions of ,
sentences are proper t o be uttered and many ,
thousands of affairs requisite to be transacted ,
or o f j ourneys to be performed which it would ,
be ridiculous to record The y are a kind of.
material for the common expenditure and wast e

of the day Yet it is often by a detail of this
.
subordinate economy of life that the works o f ,
fiction the narratives of age the j ournals of tra

, ,
v el ler s and even gr ave biographical accounts

, ,
are made so unreasonably long As well might .
a chronicle of the coats that a m an has worn ,
with the colour and date of each be called his ,
li fe for a n y important uses of relating its his

,
tory As well might a man of whom I inquire

.
,
the dimensions the internal divisions and the

, ,
use of some remarkable building begin to tell

, ,
m e how much w ood w a s employed in the sc a f

folding where the m ortar was prepared or how
, ,
often it rained while the work was proceeding .
But in a deliberate revie w of all that we can

,
An xcep tion ma y b e a dmi t t ed for t he few in divi dua ls

e
whos e daily delib era t ions discour s e s a d proc ee dings a ffe ct

, , n ,
t he int e r e s t s f ma nkin d on a gr a n d sc a l e
o .
B 2
’
remember o f past life it will be possible to select

,
a certai n proportion which may with the most

propriety be regarded as the history of the man .
What I am recommending is to follow the ,
order o f time and reduce your recollections

, ,
from the earliest period to the present into as ,
simple a statement and explanati on as you can ,
o f your feelings opinions and habits and of the

, , ,
principal circumstances through each stage that

have influenced them till they have become at
,
last what they n o w are .
Whatever tendencies nature may justly be

dee m ed to have imparted in the first instance ,
o u would probably find the greater part o f the

y
moral constitution o f your being composed o f
the contributions o f many years an d events ,
consolidated by degrees into what w e call cha

r a c t er ; and by investigating the progress of the
accumulation yo u would be assisted to judge

,
more clearly ho w far the materials are valuable ,
the mixture congruous and the whole con

,
formation worthy to remain unaltered With .
respect to any friend who greatly interests us ,
w e have a curi osity to obtain an accurate account

o f the past train o f hi s l i fe and feelings ! and
whatever other reasons there may be for such
a wish it partly S prings from a consciousness ho w
,
much this retrospective knowledge would assist to

complete o u r estimate o f that friend ; but o u r esti
m ate o f ourselves is of more serious consequence .
The elapsed perio ds o f life acquire import

a nce too from the prospect of its continuance .
The smallest thing rises into consequence when

regarded as the commencement o f what has
advanced or is advancing into magnificence
, .
The first rude settlement of R omulus would

have been an insignificant circumstance and ,
might justly have sunk into oblivio n if R ome ,
had n ot at length commanded the world The .
li t tle rill near the source of one of the great

American rivers is an interesting obj ect to the
,
traveller w ho is apprised as he steps a cross it

, ,
-
or walks a few miles along its bank that this i s ,
the stream which runs so far and which gra ,

~
dually swells into so vast a flood S o while I .

,
anticipate the endless progress of life and won ,
der through what unknown scenes it is t o take

its course its past years lose that character o f
,
vanity which would seem to belong to a train of -
fleeting perishing moments and I see them

, ,
assuming the dignity of a commencing eternity .
In them I have beg u n to be that conscious

existence which I a m to be through endless
duration ; and I feel a strange emotion o f cu
r i o si t y about this little life in which I am setting
,
out o n such a progress ; I canno t be content

without an accurate sketch of the windings
thus far of a stream which is to he a r me o n fo r
ever I try to imagine how it will be to r e
.
collect a t a far distant point of my era what I

, ,
w a s when here ; and wish if it were possible to

retain as I advance some clear trace o f the
, ,
’
6 ON A MAN S W R I TIN G
whole course o f my existence within the scope

of reflection ; to fix in my mind so strong an
idea of what I h a ve been i n this original period
o f my time that I may possess this idea in ages
,
too remote fo r calculation .
The review becomes still more important ,
when I le a rn the influence which this first part

of the progress will have on the happiness or
misery of the next .
O ne o f the greatest difficulties in the way of

executing the proposed task will have been
caused by the extreme deficiency o f that self
observation which is O f no common habit either
,
of youth or any later age M en are content to .
have no more intimate sense of their existence

tha n what they feel in the exercise of their
faculties on extraneous Obj ects The vital .
being with all its agency and emotions is so

, ,
blended and absorbed in these its exterior

interests that it is very rarely collected and
,
concentrated in the con sciousness o f its own

absolute sel f so as to be recognised as a thing
,
internal apart and alone for its own inspection

, ,
and knowledge M en carry their minds as for

.
the most part they c arry their watches conten t ,
to be ignorant o f the constitution and action

within and attentive only to the little exterior
,
circle of things to which the passions like indexes

, , ,
are pointing It is surprising to see ho w lit tle

. ,
self knowledge a person not watchfully observant

-
of himself may have gained in the whole course ,

of an active or even an inquisitive life He

, .
may have lived almost an age and traversed a ,
continent minutely examining its curiosities

, ,
and interpreting the half obliterated charac t ers

-
o n its monuments ,
unconscious the whi le o f a
process operating on his own mind to impress ,
o r to erase characteristics of much more i m

portance to him than all the figured brass or
marble that E urope contains After having ex .
p l o r e d many a cavern o r dark ruinous avenue ,
he may have left undetected a darker rec ess

within where there would be much more
striking discoveries He may have conversed
.
with many people in di fferent languages o n

, ,
n umberless subj ects ; but having neglected

,
those conversations with himself by which his

whole moral being S hould have been kept c on
t i n u al ly disclosed to his View he i s better ,
qualified perhaps to describe the intrigues of a

foreign court or the progress o f a foreign trade ;
,
to depict the manners of the Italians o r the ,
Turks ; to narrate the proceedings o f the Jesuits ,
o r the adventures o f the gypsies ; than to write
the history o f his O wn mind .
If w e had practised habitual self observation -

,
we could n o t have failed to be made aware of

much that it had been well fo r us to know .
There have been thousands o f feelings each o f ,
which if strongly seized upon and made the

, ,
subject o f reflection would have shewn u s what

,
o u r ch a racter w a s , and what it was likely to

’
become There have been nu merous incidents

.
,
which operated o n us as tests and so fully ,
brought out o u r prevailing quality that another ,
person who S hould have been discriminatively

,
Observing us would speedily have formed a

,
decided estimate But unfortunately the mind

.
is generally too much occupied by the feeling or

the incident itself to have the slightest care or
,
consciousness that any thing c ou ld be learnt or ,
i s disclosed .In very early youth it is almost

inevitable for it to be thus lost to itself even
amidst its own feelings and the external obj ects
,
of attention ; but it seems a contemptible thing ,
and certainly is a criminal and dangerous thing ,
for a man in mature life to allow himself this

thoughtless escape from self examinatio n -
.
We have not only neglected to observe what

our feelings indicated but have also in a very
,
great degree ceased to remember what they

were We may wonder how we could pass
.
away successively from so many scenes and c o n

j unctures each in its time of no trifling moment
,
in o u r apprehension and retain so light an i m

,
pression that w e have now nothing distinctly to

,
tell about what once excited our utmost emotion .
As to my own mind I perceive that it is b e

,
coming uncertain o f the exact nature of many

feelings o f considerable interest even of c om ,
p a r a t i v el
y recen t date ; and that the re m em
brance of what was felt i n very early life has
nearl y faded away I have just been observing
.
M E MOI RS OF HIM S E L F 9
several children o f eight or ten years O ld in all ,
“
the active vivacity which enj oys the plenitude o f
the moment without looking before or after ;
and while observing I attempted but wi tho u t
, ,
success to recollect what I w a s at that age I

,
.
can indeed remember the principal events of the

period and the actions and proj ects to which my
,
feelings impelled me ; but the feelings them

selves i n their own pure j uvenility cannot be
, ,
revived so as to be described and placed in

comparison with those o f later life What is .
‘
become of all those vernal fancies which had

so much power to touch the heart ? What a
number of sentiments have lived and revelled in
the soul that are now irrevocably gone ! They
died like the singing birds of that time which ,
sing no more The life we then had now

.
,
seems almost a s if it could n ot have been our

own We are like a man returni ng after the
.
,
absence of many years to Visit the embowered

,
cottage where he passed the m orning of his life ,
and finding only a relic of its ruins .
Thus an oblivious shade has spread over that

early tract of o u r time where some of the a c
,
quired propensities which remain in force to this

hour may have had their origin in a manner of ,
which we had then no thought or consciousness .
When w e met with the incident or heard the con,
versation or saw the spectacle or felt the emo

, ,
tion which were the first causes or occasions o f

,
some of the chief permanent tendencies of future

’
life how little co uld w e think that long after

,
wards we might b e curi ously and in vam de

siro n s to investigate those tendencies back to
their origin .
In some occasional states o f the mind we ,
can look back much more clearly and much ,
fu rther than at other times I would advise to

, .
seize those S hort intervals of illumination which

sometimes occur w ithout o u r knowing the cause ,
and in which the genuine aspect of some remote

event o r long forgotten image is recovered with
,
-
,
extreme distinctness in spontaneous glimpses

of thought such as n o e ffort could have com
,
m a n de d ; as the sombre features and minute

Obj ects of a distant ridge of hills become strik
i n gly visible in the strong gleams of light which
transiently fall on them An instance o f this .
ki nd occurred to me but a few ho u rs since ,
while reading what had no perceptible connex

ion with a circumstance of my early youth ,
which probably I have not recollected for many

years , and which was of no unusual interest at
the t i m e i t happened That circumstance came
x
.
suddenly to my mind with a clearness of r epr e

se n t a ti o n which I was not able to retain to the
end o f an hour and which I could not at this

,
instant renew by the strongest e ffort I seemed .
almost to see the walls and windows of a par

t i c u la r room with four o r five persons in it who
, ,
were so perfectly restored to my imagination ,
that I could recognise not only the features but ,

ME MOI RS or H IM S E L F . 11
even the momentary expressions of their coun ,
t en a n c e s and the tones o f their voices .
According to di fferent states of the mind too ,
retrospect appears longer or shorter It m a y hap .
pen that some memorable circumstance of very

early life shall be so powerfully recalled as to con ,
tract the wide intervening space by ban ishing ,
from the view a little while all the series of inter

, ,
m ediate remembrances ; but when this one obj ec t

of memory retires again to i t s remot e ness and i n
di fference and all the others resume their proper
,
places and distances the retrospect appears long

, .
P laces and things which have an association

with any of th e events o r feelings o f pas t life ,
will greatly assist t he recollection of them A .
man of strong associations finds memorials of

himself already traced o n the plac e s where he
has conversed with happin ess or misery If an !
old man wished to animate for a moment th e

languid and faded ideas which he retains of his
youth he might walk with his crutch across the
,
green where he onc e played with companions

,
w ho are now laid to repose probably in another
green spot not far o ff An aged saint may m eet

.
aga in some of the affecting ideas of his early

piety in the place where he first found it happy
,
to pray A walk in a m eadow the sight of a

.
,
bank of flowers perhaps even of some one

,
flower a landscape with the tints of autumn the

, ,
descent i n t o a valley the brow of a mountain

'
, ,
the house where a friend has bee n met or has ,

’
resided or has died have often produced a much

, ,
more lively recollection o f our past feelings and ,
o f the obj ects and events which caused them ,
than the most perfect description could have

done and we have lingered a considerable time
for the pensive luxury of thus resuming the long !
departed state .
But there are many to whom local associa

tions present images which they fervently w ish
they could exorcise ; images which haunt the
places where crimes had been perpetrated and ,
which seem t o approach and glare o n the cri

minal as he hastily passes by especially if in the,
evening o r the n ight No local associations are

.
so impressive as those o f guilt It may here be .
observed that as each o n e has his o w n separate

,
remembrances giving to some places an aspect

,
and a significance which he alone can perceive ,
there m ust be an unknown number of pleasi n g ,
o r mournful ,
or dreadful associations spread ,
over the sce n es inhabited or visited by men .
We pass without any awakened consciousness

by the bridge o r the wood or the house where
, , ,
there is something t o excite the most painful or

frightful ideas in another man if he were to go
that way or it may be in the companion who
,
walks along with us How much there is i n a

.
thousand spots o f the earth that is invisible and

,
silent to all but the conscious individual !

I hea r a voic e you c a nno t h ea r ;
I s ee a ha n d you c a nno t se e .
M EMOI RS OF H IM S E L F . I3
Il
‘
LE TTER .
W E may regard our past life as a continued

though irregular course of education through ,
an order or rather disorder of mean s consisting

, ,
o f instruction compan i onship

, readin g and the , ,
diversified influences of the world The young .
mind in the mere natural impulse of i t s activity

, ,
and in n o cently unthinking of any process it was

about to und ergo came forward to meet the
,
operation o f some or all o f these plastic circum

stances It would be worth while to examine
.
in what manner and measure they ha v efr e sp e c

t i v el,y had their influence on us .
F ew persons can look back to the early

period when they were most directly the sub
j e c t s of instruction without a regret
, for them
selves (which may b e extended to the human
,
race ) that t he result of instruction excepting

, ,
that which leads to evil bears so small a pro

,
portion to i t s compass and repetition Yet .
s ome good consequence must follow the diligent
inculcation of truth and precept o n the youthful

mind ; and o u r consciousness o f possessing cer
tain advantages derived from it will be a partial
consolation in the review which will comprise
,
’
14 ON A MA NS W R ITIN G
so many proofs of its comparative i n effic a c y .
You can recollect perhaps the instructions to , ,
which yo u feel yourself permanently the most

indebted and some o f those which produced the
,
greatest e ffect at the time those which su r ,
prised delighted o r mortified you

, You can
, .
partially rem ember the facility or di fficulty of

understanding the facility or difli c u lty of b e
,
lieving and the practical inferences which you

,
drew fro m principles o n the strength of your

own reason and sometimes in variance with
,
those made by your instructors You can r e .
member what views O f truth and duty were most

frequently and cogently presented what pas ,
sions were appealed to what arguments were ,
employed and which had the greatest influence

, .
P erhaps your present idea of the most con

v i n c i n g and persuasive mode of instruction may ,
be derived from your early experience of the

manner of those persons with whose opinions
you felt it the most easy and delightful to har
mo n i ze who gave you the most agreeable c o n
,
sc i o u sn e ss o f your faculties expanding to the

light like morning flowers and who assuming
, , ,
the least o f dictation exerted the greatest degree ,
o f power .You can recollect the submissiveness

”
with which your m ind yielded to instructions as

from an oracle o r the hardihood with which
,
you dared to examine and oppose them You .
can remember how far they became as to your ,
O wn conduct an internal authority o f reason

,
M EMOI RS OF H I M S E L F . 15
and conscience when you were not under the

,
inspecti o n of those w ho inculcated them ; and

what classes of persons or things aroun d you
they contributed to make you dislike or approve .
And yo u can perhaps imperfectly trace the

manner and the particulars in which they
sometimes aided or sometimes counteracted
, ,
those other influences which have a far stronger

efficacy o n the character than instruction can
boast .
S ome persons c a n recollect certain particular

sentences or conversations which made so deep
an impression perhaps in so m e instances they
,
”
can scarcely tell why that they have been thou
,
sands o f times recalled while innumerable ,
others have b een forgotten ; or they can revert

to some striking incident coming in aid of i n ,
struction or bein g of itself a forcible i n st rfi ct i o n

, ,
which they seem even now to see as plainly a s

when it happene d and of which t hey will retain
,
a perfect idea to the end of life The most .
remarkable circumstances of this kind deserv e

to be recorded in the supposed memoirs In .
some instances to recollect the instructions of a

,
former period will be to recollect too the ex

c ellen c e the affection a n d the death of the
, , ,
persons who gave them Amidst the sadness o f .
such a remembrance it will b e a consolatio n

,
th a t they are not entirely lost to us Wis e .
monitions when they return on us with thi s

,
melancholy charm have more pathetic cogency

,
’
16 ON A M AN S W R ITIN G
than when they were first uttered by the voice

o f a living friend It will be an interesting .
occupation o f the pen sive hour to recount the ,
advantages which we have received from the

beings who have left the world and to reinforce ,
ou r virtues from the dust of those who first

taught them .
In o u r review we shall find that the com

,
panions of our childhood and of each succeeding ,
period have had a great influence on ou r cha

,
r a c t er s A creature so prone to conformity as

.
man and at the same time so capable of being

,
moulded into partial dissimilarity by social a n

t i pa t hi es cannot have conversed with his fellow
,
beings thousands o f hours walked with them ,
thousands of miles undertaken with them num ,
b e r le ss enterprises smaller and greater and had

, ,
every passion by turns awakened in their com

, ,
pany without being immensely a ffected by all

,
this association A large S hare indeed o f the

.
, ,
social interest ma y have been o f S O common a

kind and with persons of so common an order
, ,
that the e ffect on the character has been too

little pe culiar to be perceptible during the pr o
gress We were not sensible o f it till we came
.
,
to some o f those circumstances and changes in

life which make us aware of the state o f o u r
,
minds by the manner in whi ch n ew obj ects are

acceptable or repulsive t o them O n removing .
into a n e w circle o f society fo r ins t ance we , ,
c o uld perceive by the number o f things in which

,
M EMOI RS OF HIM S E L F . 17
we found ourselves u ncomplacent and u n c o n

formable with the new acquain t ance the modi ,
fic a t i o n which o u r sentiments ha d received i n

the preceding social intercourse But in some
.
instances we have been in a short time sensible

o f a powerful force operating o n our opinions ,
tastes and habits and reducing them to a greatly

, ,
altere d cast This e ffect is inevitable if a youn g

.
,
s usceptible m ind happens to become familiarly
a cquainted with a person in whom a strongly
individual character is sustained and dignified by

uncommon mental res o urces ; and it may be
found that generally the greatest measure of
, ,
e ffect has been produced by the influence of a

very small n umber o f persons ; often of o n e
o nly, whose m aster spirit had more power to
-
s urround and assimilate a young i n ge n u ous

being than the collective influence o f a multi
,
tude of the persons whose characters were

,
moulded in the manufactory o f custom and sent ,
forth like images of clay o f kindre d s hape a n d

varnish from a pottery I am q pp o si n g all
— .
,
along that the person w ho writes memoirs of

,
himself is conscious o f somethi ng more peculiar

,
than a mere dull resemblance o f that ordin ary

form and i n sign ific a n c e o f character which it ,
strangely depreciates our nature to see such a

multitude exemp lifying As to the crowd o f .
those who are faithfully stamped like bank ,
notes with the same marks with the di fference

, ,
o nly of being worth mor e guineas o r fewer they ,

’
18 ON A MA N S WR I T I N G
are mere particles of a class mere pieces and ,
bits o f the great vulgar o r the small ; t hey need

not write their history it may be found in the ,
’
newspaper chronicle o r the gossip s o r the
,
’
sexton s narrative .
It is obvious in what I have suggested r e

,
specting the research through past life that all ,
the persons w ho are recalled to the mind as ,
having had an influence o n us must stand b e ,
fore i t in j udgment It is impossible to examine

.
ou r moral and intellectual growth without

forming an estimate as we proceed of those , ,
w ho retarded advanced or perverted it

, O ur
,
.
dearest relations and friends cannot be exempted .
There will be in so m e instances the necessity o f

blaming where we would wish to give entire
praise ; though perhaps some worthy motives
and generous feelings may at the same time , ,
be discovered in the conduct where they had ,
hardly been perceived o r allowed before But .

,
at any rate it is important that in n o instance

,
the judgment be duped into delusive estimates ,
amidst the examination and so as to compro ,
mise the principles o f the examination by which ,
we mean to bring ourselves to rigorous justice .
Fo r if any indulgent partiality o r mistaken idea ,
o f that duty which requires a kind and candid
feeling to accompany the clearest discernment o f

defects m ay be permitted to beguile o u r judg
,
ment o u t o f the decisions of j ustice in favour

o f others, self love a still more indulgent an d
-
,
MEMOI RS OF H IM S E L F . 19
partial feeling will not fail to practise the same

,
beguilement in favour of ourselves But indeed .
it would seem impossible besides being absurd

, ,
to apply one set o f principles to j udge of o u r

selves and another to judge of those with whom
,
we have associated .
E v ery person of tolerable education ha s been

considerably influenced by the books he has
rea d ; and remembers with a kind o f gratitude
several o f those that made without inj ury the
earliest and the strongest impression It is .
pleasing at a more advanced perio d to look

again into the early favourites ; though the
mature per son may wonder how some of them
had once power to absorb his passions make ,
hi m retire into a lonely wood in order to read

unmolested repel the approaches of S leep or
, , ,
w hen it came infect it with visions

, A capital .
pa rt of the proposed task would be to recollect

the book s that have been read with the greatest
interest the periods when they were read the
, ,
partiality which any of them inspired to a

particular mode of life to a study to a system
, ,
o f Opinions o r to a class of human characters ;

,
to note the counteraction of later ones ( where

we have been sensible of it) to the e ffect p r o
du c e d by the former ; and then to endeavour
t o estimate the whole and ultimate I nfluence .
C onsidering the multitude of facts sentiments , ,
and character s which have been contemplated

‘
,
by a person who has read much the e ffect o n e

, ,
C2
’
should think must have been very great S till

, .
,
however it is probable that a very small num

, ,
ber o f books will have the pre eminence in our -
mental history P erhaps your memory will

.
prom ptly recur to si x or ten that have contri

buted more to your present habits o f feeling and
thought than all the rest together It may be — .
observed here that when a fe w books o f the

,
same kind have pleased us emphatically it is a ,
possible ill conseq u ence that they may create

an almost exclusive taste which is carried ,
through all future reading and i s pleased only ,
with books of that kind .
It might be supposed that the scenes o f na

ture an amazing assemblage o f phenomena if
,
their e ffect were n ot lost through familiarity ,
wo u ld have a po w erful influence o n opening

minds and transfuse into the internal economy
,
of ideas and sentimen t something o f a character

and a colour correspondent to t he beauty vicis ,
si t u de and grandeur which press o n the senses

, , .
They have this e ffect o n minds o f genius ; and

’
Beatti e s Minstrel may be as just as it i s a cap
t i v a t i n g description o f the perceptions and emo
tions o f such a spirit But o n the greatest
.
number this influence operat es feebly ; yo u will

n o t see the process in children nor the result i n ,
mature persons That significance is unfelt

.
,
which belongs to the beauties o f nature as some

thing m ore than their being merely obj ects o f
the senses . And in many instances even the
M E MOI RS OF HIM S E L F . 21
senses themselv es are so deficient in attention ,
SO idly passive and therefore apprehend these

,
obj ects so slightly u n de fin e dly and tran siently

, , ,
that it is n o wonder the impressions do n o t go

so much deeper than the senses as to infuse a
mood of sentiment awaken the mind to thought

,
ful and imaginative action and for m in it an ,
order o f feelings and ideas congenial with what

is fair and great in external nature This defect .
o f sensibility and fancy is unfortunate amidst a
creation infinitely rich wi th gran d and b eautiful

Obj ects which can impart to a mind adapted and
,
habituated to converse with nature an exquisite

sentiment that seems to come as by an emana
,
tio n from a spirit dwelling in those obj ects It .
is unfortunate I have thought within these fe w

,
minutes — while looking o u t on o n e of the most

enchanting nights o f the most interesting s eason
o f the year and hearing the voices of a company
,
o fperso n s to whom I can perceive that this soft

,
and solemn shade over the earth the calm S ky , ,
the beautifu l stripes o f cloud the stars the , ,
waning moon just risen are things n o t in the

,
least more interesting than the walls ceiling , ,
a n d candle light o f a room

-
I feel n o vanity in
.
this instance for perhaps a thousand aspects o f

night not less striking than this have appeared ,
before my eyes and departed not only without ,
awaking emotio n but almost without attracting

,
notice .
If minds in general are not made to be strongly

’
a ffected by the phenomena o f the earth and

heavens they are however all subject to be
,
powerfu lly influenced by the appearances and

character o f the huma n world I suppose a child .
in S witzerland growing up to a man would

, ,
have acquired incomparably more of the cast o f

his mind from the events manners and actions , ,
o f the next village though its inhabitants were

,
but his occasional companions than from all ,
the mountain scenes the cataracts a n d every , ,
circumstance o f beauty or sublimity in nature

around him We are all true to Ou r S pecies
.
,
and very soon feel its importance to us (though ,
benevolence be n o t the basis of the interest ) ,
far beyond the importance o f any thing that we

se e besides Beginning your observation with
.
children you may have noted how instantly they

,
will turn their attention away from a n y o f the

asp e cts o f nature however rare or striking if
, ,
human Obj ects present themselves to view in

any active manner This leaning to o u r kind
.
” “
brings each individual n o t only under the i n
flu e n c e attending immediate association with a
few but under the Operation of numberless i n
,
flu en c e s from all the moral diversities o f which

,
he is a spectator in the living world ; a compli

c a t e d tho u gh insensible tyranny of which every
, ,
fashion folly and v ice may exercise its part

, , ,
.
S ome persons would be able to recollect very

stro n g and influential impressions m ade in ,
almost the first years o f life by some o f the ,

events and appearances which they witnessed in

surrounding Society But whether the operation
.
on us o f the formative p ower of the commu n ity

began with impressions of extraordinary force
o r not it has been prolonged thro ugh the whole
,
course of our acquaintance with mankind It .
is no little e ffect for the living world to have had

on us that very many of our present op i n i on s
,
are owing to what we have seen and experienced

in it. That thinking which has involuntarily
been kept in exercise on it however remiss and
,
desultory could not fail to result in a number

,
o f settled notions ,which may be said to b e

shaped upon i t s facts and practices We could .
not be in sight of it and in intercourse with it

, ,
without the fo rmation o f Opinions adj usted to

what w e found in it ; and thus far it has been
the creator of our mental economy But its .
operation has not stopped here It will not .
confine itself to occupyi ng the understanding ,
a n d y ield to be a mere subj ect for j udgments to
b e fo rme d upon ; but all the while that the

Observer is directing on it the exercise of his
judicial capacity it is r e actively throwing on
,
-
him various moral influences and infections .

’
LE TTER III .
A P E RS ON capable of being deeply interested ,
and accustomed to reflect o n his feelings will ,
have Observed in himself this s u bj ection to the

influences o f what has been presented t o hi m in
society Their force may have been su fli c i e n t in
.
some instances to go far toward new modelling -
the habit o f the mind R ecollect your o w n

.
experience Aft er witnessing some remarkable

.
transaction o r some n e w and strange depart

,
ment Of life and manners o r some striking dis

,
closure o f character or after listening to some

,
extraordinary conversation o r impressive recital

,
o f facts yo u may have been conscious that what

,
o u have heard o r seen ha s given your mind

y
some one strong determination o f a nature r e
su l t i n g from the quality o f that which ha s made
the impression It is true that your receiving
.
,
the e ffect in this o n e manner i mplies the exist

ence o f an adapted predisposition fo r many ,
other persons might n o t have been similarly

affec t ed ; yet the newly acquired impulse might
be so di fferent from the former action o f you r
mind and at the same time so s t rong a s t o give
, ,
o u the consciousness o f a greatly altered moral

y
ME MOI RS OF HIM S E L F . 25
being In the state thus suddenly formed some

.
,
o f the previously existing dispositions had sunk
subordinate while o t hers which had been

, ,
hitherto inert were grown into an imperious

,
prevalence ! or even a new o n e appeared t o

have been originated *
While this state con
.
tin n es a man i s in character another man and

,
if the moral tendency thus excited or create d ,
co u ld be prolonged into the sequel of his life ,
the difference might be such that i t would be ,
by means only Of his person that he would be

recognised fo r the same ; while an observer
ignorant of the cause would be perplexed and
surprised at the change No w this permanence .
o f the new moral direction m ight be e f fected if ,
the impression which causes it were so intensely

powerful as to haunt him ever after ; or if he
were subj ected to a long succession o fi mp r e s
sions o f the same tendency without an y power ,
fully Opposite ones intervening to break the

process .
Y o u have witnessed perhaps a scene of i n j u s

tice and Oppression and have retired with an
,
indignation which ha s imprecated ve n geance .
N ow supposing that the image O f this scene

were to be revived i n your mind in all i t s odious
ness as Often as any iniq u itous CIr c u mst a n c e in
,
society sh ould pres ent itself to your notice and ,
SO gr ea t an eff ct how ev e r a s this l a s t i s p e rha ps

e , , ,
r a r ly exp e ri ence d fro m e v e n the m os t powerful c a us e s

e ,
e xc ep t in e a rly life .
’
that you had an entire persuasion that your

feeling was the pure indignation o f virtue ; or ,
supposing that you were repeatedly to witness

’
similar instances without di minution o f the

,
abhorrence by familiarity with them ; the con

sequence m ight b e that yo u would acquire the
S pirit Of D raco o r M inos .
It i s easy to imagine the impression of a

few atrocious facts o n an ardent constitution ,
converting a humane horror o f cruelty into the

vindictive fanaticism of M o n tb a r the Bucca ,
A person o f gentler sensibility by ,
accidentally witnessing a scene of distress of ,
whi ch n on e of the circumstan ces caused disgust

toward the su fferers o r indignation against
,
others as the cause of the su ffering having ,
once tasted the pleasure o f soothing woes which

perhaps death alone can terminate might be led ,
t o seek other instances o f d i stress acqu ire both ,
an aptit u de and a partiality fo r the charitable

o ffi ce and become a pensive philanthropist
, .
The repulsion which has struck the Observer O f

some extravagance o f ostentatious wealth or ,
some excess of frivolity and dissipation and ,
acted o n him again at S ight Of every succeeding

and inferior instance o f the same kind with a ,
greater force than would have been felt in these

inferior instance s if the o ffensive e ffect did n o t
,
run into the vestiges o f the first indelible
A b b ! Ra yn a ls Hi sto r x n i
'
Sec o f t he I d es.
M EMOI RS OF H IM S E L F . 27
I mp r e ssI O n ,
may produ c e a cynic o r a miser ,
a recluse or a philosopher N umberless other

.
illustrations might be brought to shew how

much the characters o f hum an b ein gs entering ,
o n life with unwarned carelessness o f heart are ,
at the mercy o f the incalculable influences which

may strike t hem from any point o f the surround
ing world .
It i s true that notwithstanding so many i n

,
flu e n c e s are acting o n men and some o f them

,
apparen tly of a kind and of a force t o produce

in their subj ects a notable peculiari ty compara ,
t i v ely few characters determinately m arked from

al l around them are found to arise In looking .
on a large company o f persons whose disposi

tions and pursuits are substantially alike w e ,
cannot doubt that several o f them have met

with circumstances o f which the natural ten
,
de n c y must have been to give them a deter

mination o f mind extremely dissimilar to the
character of those whom they now so much
resemble And wh y does the influence o f such
.
circumstances fail to prod u ce such a result ?

P artly because the influences which are of a
,
more peculiar and specific operation are over

borne and lo st in that wide general influence ,
which accumulates and conforms each individual

to the crowd ; and partly because even were
,
there no such general influence to steal away

the impressions of a more peculiar tenden c y ,
few min ds are o f so fixed and faithful a

’
consistence as to retain in continued e fficacy , ,
impressions o f a kind which the co m mon course

o f life is n o t adapted t o reinforce nor prevailing ,
example to confirm The mind o f the greater.
proportion o f human beings if attempted to be ,
wrought into any boldly specific form proves ,
like a half flu i d substance in whic h angles or

-
,
circles o r any other figures may be cut but

, , ,
which recovers while yo u are looking its former

, ,
state and closes them up ; or like a quantity o f

,
d u st which may be raised into momentary r e

,
lu c t a n t shapes but which is relapsing amidst

, ,
the operation towards its undefined mass

, .
But if characters of strong individual peculi

a r i t y are somewh at rare such a s are marked ,
with the respective distinctions which di sc r i m i

nate moral c la sses are very numerous ; the
decidedly avaricious fo r instance ; the devoted
slaves o f fashion ; a n d the eager aspirers to
power in however confined a S phere the little
, ,
Alexanders o f a m ole hill qu ite as a mb i t i o n s

-
, ,
in their w a v as the great Alexan der o f a world

, .
It i s observable here ho w m u ch m ore largely

,
the worse prominences of human character meet

ou r a t tention than the better And it is a .
melancholy illustration o f the final basis o f cha

r a c t er ,
hum an nature itself that both the dis ,
t i n c ti o n s which designate a bad class a n d those ,
which constitute a bad individual peculiarity ,
are attained with far the greatest frequency and

facility While however I have the most entire
.
, ,
conviction of t his mighty inclination to evil ,
which is the grand cause o f all the diversified

forms o f evil ; and while at the same time I
, ,
hold the vulgar belief o f a great native di fference

between m en in the original temperament o f
,
those principles which are to be unfolded by

the progress o f time into intellec tual powers and
moral dispositions ; I yet cannot but p er c e rv e
that the i mmedi a t e and occasional causes Of the
greater portion Of the prominent actual cha
r a c t e r Of human beings are to be found i n those
,
moral elements through which they pass An d .
if one might be pardoned fo r putting i n words

so fantastic an idea as that of its being possible
,
fo r a man to live back again to his infancy ,
through all the scenes of his life and to give ,
back from his mind and character at each time ,
and circumstance as he repassed it exactly that

, ,
which he took from it when he was there b e

,
fore i t would be most curious to se e the frag

,
ments and ex uv iae of the moral man lying here

and there along the retrograde path and to find ,
what he w a s in the beginning of this train Of

modifications and acquisitions N or can it be .
doubted that any man whose native tendencies

,
were ever so determinate and w ho ha s passed

,
through a course o f events and interests adapted

to develope and confirm them according to their
determination might by bein gled through a di f
, ,
fer e n t train counteractive to those native tenden

,
cies have been an extremely different man from

,
’
30 ON A MAN S W R ITI NG
what he now is I am supposing his mind to be

.
—
in either case equally cultivated and referring to ,
another kind of di fference than that which wo u ld

in any case be made by the di fferent measure o r
quantity if I m ay express it so o f intellectual
, ,
attainment .
Here a person of your a ge might pause and ,
look back with great interest on the world of

circumstance s through which life has been
drawn C onsider what thousands of situations
.
,
appearances incidents persons you have been

, , ,
present with each in its time The review would

, .
carry you over something like a chaos with all ,
the moral and all other elements confounded

, ,
together ; and yo u may reflect till yo u begin

almost to wonder how an individual retains the
same essence through all the diversities v rc rssr ,
tudes and counterac tions of influence that

, ,
operate on it during its progress through t he

confusion While the essential being might
.
,
however defy the universe to extinguish absorb

, , ,
o r transmute it ou will find it has come out

y ,
with dispositions and habits which will shew

where it has been and what it has undergone
, .
Y o u may descry o n it the marks and colours of

many o f the things by which it has in passing , ,
been touched o r arrested .
C onsider the number o f meetings with a o

qu aintance friends o r strangers the number o f
, ,
conversations you have held o r heard ; the

number of exhibitions o f good or evil virtue o r ,
MEMOI RS OF H IM S E L F . 31
vice ; the number o f occasions on which you

have been disgusted or pleased moved to ,
admiration or to abhorrence ; the number of

times that you have contemplated the town the ,
rural cottage or verdant fields ; the number

,
of volumes yo u have read ; the times that

you have looked over the present state of the
world or gone by means of history into past
,
ages ; the number of comparisons o f yourself

with other persons alive or dead and compari
, ,
sons o f them with one another ; the n umber of

solitary musings of solem n contemplations O f
,
night o f the successive subj ects of tho u ght and

, ,
of animated sentiments that have been kindled

and extinguished Add all the hours and causes
.
of sorrow which you have known Through this .
lengthened and if the number could b e told

, , ,
stupendous multiplicity of things you have a d ,
v a n c ed
, while all their heterogeneo us myriads
have darted influences upon you each o n e o f ,
them having some definable tendency A .
traveller round the globe would not meet a

greater variety of seasons prospects and winds, , ,
than you might have recorded of the circum

stances capable O f affecting your character ,
during your j ourney of life Yo u could not wish .
t o have dr a wn to yourself the agen cy of a vaster

diversity o f causes ; you coul d not wish o n the ,
supposition that you had gained advantage from

all these to wear the spoils of a greater number
,
of r egions The formation O f the chara c ter

.
’
fro m so many materials reminds o n e o f that

mighty appropriating attraction which on the , ,
fanciful hypothesis that the resurrection S hould

r e assemble t he same particles which composed
-
the body before must dra w them from dust

, ,
and trees and animals fro m ocean and winds

, , , .
It would scarcely be expected that a being

which S hould be conducted through such anar
chy o f discipline in which the endless crowd
,
o f influential powers seem waiting each t o take ,
away what the last had given should be per ,
m i t t e d to acquire o r to retain any settled form

, ,
o f qualities at all The more probable result

.
would be either several qualities disagreeing

,
with o n e an other o r a blank neutrality And

, .
in fact a great number o f nearly such neutra

,
lit i e s are found every where ; persons w ho , ,
unless their sharing o f the general properties o f

human nature a little modified by the m srgn i
,
fic a n t distinction o f some large class can be ,
called character have no character It is there

,
.
fore somewhat strange i f yo u and if other , ,
individuals have come forth with moral features

,
o f a strongly marked and consistently combined
cast from the infinity o f miscellaneous impres

,
sion s If the process ha s been so complex how

.
,
comes the result to be apparently so simple ?

Ho w has it happened that the c o llec t i v e e ffect o f
these numerous and j arring operations o n your
mind is that which only a few o f these Opera
,
tions would have seemed adapted t o produce ,

and quite different from that which many others

o f them should naturally have produced and ,
do actually produce in many other persons ?

Here yo u will perceive that some one capital
determination must lo n g since have been by
some means established in your mind and th a t , ,
during your progress this predominant deter

,
mination has kept yo u susceptible of the e ffect

o f some influences and fortified against many
,
others . N ow what w a s the pr evailing deter

,
mination whence did it come how did it acquire

, ,
i t s power ? Was it an original tendency and

insuppressible impulse of your nature ; or the
result of your earliest impressions ; or of some
o n e class o f impressions repeated oft ener than
any other ; or o f o n e single impression o f ex

treme force ?
What was it and whence did it
,
come ? This is the great secret in t he hi st o r y r
of character ; for it is scarcely necessary to o h

,
serve that a s soon as the mind is under the

,
power O f a predominant tendency t he difficulty ,
of growing into the maturity O f that form of

character which this tendency promotes or
,
creates i s substantially over Because when a

, .
,
determined principle is become ascendent it not ,
only prod u ces a partial insensibility to all i m

pressions that wo uld counteract it but also ,
continually augments its o w n ascendency by ,
means of a faculty or fatality of finding o u t

every thing and at tracting to itself every cause
,
of i mpression that is adapted to coalesce with it

,
D
’
an dstrengthen it ; like the instinct of animals ,
which instantly selects from the greatest variety

O f substances those which are fit for their nutri
m ent . L et a man have some leading and

decided propensi t y and it w ill be s ur prising to
,
se e how m a ny more things he will find and ho w,
many more events will happen than any one

,
could have imagined o f a nature to reinforce

,
it And sometimes even circumstances which

.
seemed of an entirely counteractive order are ,
strangely seduced by this predominant principle

into an operation tha t confirms it ; just in the
same manner as polemics most self complacently
-
avow their opinions to be more firmly established

by the strongest Objections O f the opponent .
It would be easy to enlarge with out end on

the influences o f the surrounding world in
forming the character of each individual Yet .
while there is no denying that such influences

are e ffectively operating a man may be n u
,
willing to allow that he has been quite so

servilely passive as he would probably find that
,
he has been if it were possible for him to

,
make a complete examination He may be

.
disposed to think that his reason ha s been an

independent power has kept a strict watch and
, ,
passed a right judgment on his moral progress ,
has met the circumstances of the extern al world

on terms o f examination a n d authority and has
,
er mi tt ed only such impressions to be received

p ,
o r at le as t only such consequences t o follow

fr om them as it wisely approved But I would

, .
t el l him t hat he has been a very e xtraordinary

,
ma n if the greater part O f his time has not been

,
S pent entirely without a thought of reflecting

wha t impressions were made o n him or w hat ,
their tendency might be ; and even without a

consciousness that the e ffect o f any i mpressions -
w a s O f importance to his moral habits He may .
be a ssured that he has been subj ected to many

gentle gradual processe s and has met man y ,
critical occasions on which and o n the con

, ,
sequences o f which to himself he exercised no ,
attention or opinion And again it is u n fo r

.
,
t u n a t el
y true that even
, should a ttention b e
a wake , a n d opinions be formed the faculty ,
which forms them is very servile to the other

parts of the human constitution If it could be .
ex trinsic to the man a kind of domestic P ythia

,
-
or an attendant genius like the demon of S O ,
crates it might then be a dignified regulator of

,
the influences which are acting on his character ,
to decide what should or S hould not be permitted

to affect him and in what manner ; though even
,
then its disapproving dictates might fa il against

some extre mely powerfu l impression which might
g ive a temporary bias a n d s uch repetit io ns of
,
that impression as should confirm it But the .
case is that this faculty though mocked with

, ,
imperial nam es being condemned to dwell in the

,
company of far more active powers than itsel f ,
and earlier exercised becomes humbly Obsequious

,
D 2
’
to them The passions easily beguile this ma

.
e st i c reason
j o r judgment into n eglect or bribe
, , ,
i t into acquiescence or repress it into silence, ,
while t hey receive the impressions and while ,
t hey acquire from those impressions that deter
minate direction which will constitute the cha

,
r a c t er . If after thus much is done during the

,
weakness o r without the notice or without the

, ,
leave o r under the connivance or corruption Of

,
the j u dgment it be called upon to perform its

,
par t in estimating the quality and actual e ffect

Of the modifying influences it has to perform ,
this judicial work with j ust that degree o f recti

t u de W
’
hi c h it can have acquired and m aintained

under the operation O f those very influences In .
acting the judge it is itself in subj ection to the

,
e ffect of those i mpressions o f which its Office was ,
to have previously decided whether they should

n o t be strenuously repelled Thus its Opinions .
will unconsciously be perverted like the answers

of the ancient oracles dic tated for the imaginary ,
god by bein gs of a very terrestrial sort though the ,
sl intervention could n ot be perceived It is

y .
quite a vulgar observation how pleased a man ,
m a y be with the formation of hi s o w n character ,
tho u gh you smile at the gravity o f hi s pers u asion ,
that his tastes preferences and qualities have

, , ,
on the whole grown up under the sacred and

faithful guardianship Of j udgment while in fact , , ,
his j udgment has accepted every bribe that has

been O ffered to betray him .
LE TTE R IV .
YO U will agree with me that in a compre ,
hen si v e View of the influences which have

formed and are forming the characters of men
, , ,
we S hall find religion excepted but little cause

, ,
to felicitate our species M ake the supposition .
that any assortment of persons o f sufficient ,
number to comprise the most remarkable dis

ti n c t i o n s of character should write memoirs of
,
themselves so exactly and honestly telling the

,
story and exhibiting so clearly the most e ffe c

,
tive circumstances as to explain to your discern

, ,
-
ment at least if not to their own consciousness

, ,
the main process by which their minds have

attained their present state If they were to .
read these memoirs to you in succession and ,
if your benevolence could so long be maintained

in full exercise a n d your rules for estimating
,
lost nothing o f their deter minate principle in

their application to such a c onfusion o f subj ects ,
o u would Often during the disclosure regret to

y , ,
Observe how many things may be the causes O f

irretrievable mischief Why i s the path Of life
.
,
you would say so haunted a s if with evil S pi rits

,
of every diversity of noxious agency some of ,

’
which may patiently acco m pany or others of ,
which may suddenly cross the unfortunate ,
wanderer ?
An d yo u would regret to Observe
into how many forms of intellectual and moral
perversion the human mind readily yields itself
to be modified .
As on e o f the number concluded the account

o f himself your observation would be I perceive
, ,
with compassion the process under which you

have b ecome a misanthropist If your j uvenile .
i n genuous ardour had not been chilled on your

entrance into society where your most favourite
,
sentiments were not at all comprehended by

s ome , and by others deemed wise and proper
enough perhaps for the people of the millen
—
nium ; if you had not felt the mor ti fic a ti o n of

relations being unco n genial of persons whom ,
you were anxious to render happy being i n dif

fer en t to your kindness o r o f apparent friend
,
ships proving treacherous or transi tory ; i f you

had n ot met with su c h s t riking instances of
hopeless stupidity in the vulgar or of vain self ,
importance in the learned or o f the coarse or

,
supercilious arrogance of the persons whose

manners w ere always regulated by the conside
ration O f the proportion O f gold and silver by
which they were better than you ; if your mor
t i fic a t i o n s had not given you a keen faculty O f
perceiving the all pervading selfishness of man

-
kind while i n addition yo u had perhaps a

, , ,
peculiar opportunity t o Observe the apparatus of

MEMOI RS OF H I MSE LF . 39
systematic villany by which combinatio n s of

,
men are able to a r m their selfishness to oppress

or ravage the world you might even n o w per
—
,
haps have been the p er su a srv e I nstructor O f

,
beings concerning whom you are won dering

,
why t hey should have been made I n the for m of

rationals ; yo u might have conciliated to your ,
self a n d to goodness where you repel and are,
repelled ; you might have been the apostle and

pattern of benevolence instead of envying the ,
powers a n d vocation of a destroying angel .
’
Yet not that the world should bear all the
blame F ra il and changeable in vi rtue you
.
,
mig ht perhaps have been good under a seri es of

auspicious circ u mstances ; but the glory had
been to be Victoriously good against malignant
ones M oses lost none of his generous concern
.
for a people on whom you wo uld ha v e i n v o ke d

,
r
the waters of N oah o r the fires of S odom to

return ; and that G reater than M oses who ,
endured from men such a m atchless excess of

i n justice while for their sake alone he soj ourned
,
and su ffered on earth was not alienated to mis,
a n t hr o in his l i fe or at his death

py , , .
A sec on d sketch might ex hibit external cir

c u m st a n c es not producing any e ffect more
serious than an intellectual stagnation When .
it was concluded your reflection might be if I

, ,
did not know that mental freedom is a dan

e r ou s thing peculiarly in situations where the
g ,
possessor would feel it a singular attainment ;

’
and if I did not prefer even the quiescence of

unexamining belief when tolerably right in the
,
most material points to the indi fference or

,
scepticism which feels no assurance o r n o i m

portance in any belief o r to the weak pr e su mp
,
tion that darts into the newest and most daring

opinions as ther efor e true I should deplore that
—
your life was destined to preserve its sedate

course so entirely unanimated by the intellect u al
novelties o f the age the agitations o f ever
,
moving opinion ; and under the habitual and

exclusive influence O f o n e individual worthy ,
perhaps and in a certain degr ee sensible but o f ,
contracted views whom yo u have been taught

,
and accustomed to regard as the comprehensive

repository of all the truth requisite for you to
know a n d from whom you have derived as
, ,
some o f your chief acquisitions a contented ,
assurance that the trouble o f inquiry is needless ,
and a superstitious horror O f innovation with ,
o u t even knowing what points are threatened
by it .
’
At the end o f a n ot her s disclosure you would,
say How unfortunate that you could not b e

, ,
lieve there might be respectable and valuable

men w ho were not born to be wits o r poets
,
.
And how unfortunate were those first evenings

that yo u were privileged to listen to a company
o f men who could sa y m ore fine things in an
,
hou r than their biographers will be able even ,
with the customary a id of lau datory fiction to ,

record them to have don e i n the whole space of

life It was then you discovered that you to o
.
were O f the progeny of Apollo and that you had ,
been iniquitously transferred at your nativity

into the hands of ignorant foster parents who -
,
had endeavoured to degrade and confine y ou to

the sphere O f regular employments and sober
satisfactions But you would tower up to “
”
.
,
the region of your sire Y o u sa w what won.
de rfu l things might be fo u nd t o be said on all

subjects ; you found it not so very d ifficult
yourself to sa y difer en t things from other p e o
ple ! and every thing that was not c ommon
dulness was therefore pointed every thing that
, ,
w a s not sense by any v u lg a r r u le w a s therefore ,
sublim e Y o u adopted a certain vastitude o f

.
phrase mistaking extravagance o f expression for

,
greatness of thought You se t yourself t o dog .
matize on books and the abilities of men but

, ,
especially on their prej udices ; and perhaps to

demolish with the air of an exploit some o f the
, ,
trite Observations and maxims current in society .
You awakened and surpris ed your imagination ,
by imposing on it a strange new t a x of colours

.
and metaphors ; a tax reluctantly and u ncouthly

paid but perhaps in some one instance so
,
luckily as to gain the applause of the gifted (i f

,
t hey were not merely eccentric ) men into whose ,
co mpany you had been elated by ad mittance .
This was to you the proof and recognition O f

fraternity ! and it has S ince been the chief
’
42 ON A MAN S W R IT I N G
questi on that has interested you with each

acquaintance and in each company whether ,
they too could perceive what yo u were so happy

to have discovered ye t so anxious that the a c
,
kn o wle dgme n t of others should confirm Your .
o w n persuasion however became as pertinacious

, ,
as ivy climbing a wall It was almost of course .
to attend to necessary pursuit s with reluctant

irregularity though su ffering b y the co u se
,
en c e s o f n eglecting them and to feel i n di

q u
g ,
nant that g en i u s should be reproached for the

disregard of these ordinary duties and employ
ments to which it ought never to have been
subj ected .
’
D uring a p r oj ec t or s story of life and mi sfo r
tunes you might regret that he should ever
,
’
have heard o f Harrison s time piece the per -
,
e t u a lm otion or the G reek fire

p ,
.
After an a n ti qu a rys history you might be ,
allowed to congratulate yourself on not hav ing

fallen under the spel l which confines a human
soul to inhabit like a spider in one O f the cor
,
ners a dusty room consecrated with religious

, ,
solemnity to O ld coins rusty knives illuminated , ,
mass books swords and spurs of forgotten

,
kings and slippers O f their queens ; with per

,
haps a R oman helmet the acquisition o f which ,
was the first cause o f the collection and o f the

passion elevated imperi a lly over the relics O f
,
kings and queens and the whole museum as

the eag le was once in proud eminence over ” “ ,
MEMOI RS OF HI M S E L F . 43
subjugated kingdoms And you might be i n.
cl i n e d to say I wish that helmet had bee n a pan

,
for charcoal o r had been put on the head of one

,
Of the quiet equestrian warriors in t he Tower ,
or had aided the rattlings of S ir G odfrey haunt ,
’
ing the baron s castle where he w a s murdered ,
or had be en worn by D on ! uixote instead of ,
’
the barber s basin or had been the cauldron of
,
’
M acbeth s witches or had been in any other
,
s hape place or use rather than dug up an

, , ,
anti quity in a luckless hour i n a bank near

, ,
your garden .
I compassiona te you would in a v ery bene , ,
volen t hour be your language to the wealthy

,
u nfeeling tyr a n t of a fa mi l y a n d a n ei hbou r ho od

g ,
w ho seeks in the overawed timidity and u n r e

,
t al i a t e d injuries of the unfortunate beings W ithin

hi s power the gratification that should have
,
been sought i n their happiness Unless you .
ha d brought into the world some extraordinary

refractoriness to the influence of evil the pro ,
cess that you have undergone could not fail O f

being e fli c a c i ou s If your parents idoliz ed their
.
own importance in their son so much that they ,
ne ver themselves opposed your inclinations nor ,
permitted it to be done by any subj ect to their

authority ; if the humble companion sometimes ,
summoned to the honour of amusing you bore ,
your caprices and insolence with the meekness

without which he had lost his privilege ; if you
could despoil the garden of some harmless
’
dependent neighbour of the carefully reared

flo w ers and torment his little dog or cat wit h
, ,
out his daring t o punish you or to appeal to

your infatuated parents ; if aged men addressed
you in a submissive tone and with the appella ,
tion o f S ir and their aged wives uttered their

,
wonder at your condescension and pushed their ,
grandchildren away from around the fire for

your sake if you happened though with the
, ,
strut O f supercilious pertness and your hat o n ,
your head to enter o n e o f their cottages per

, ,
haps to express your contempt Of the homely

dwelling furniture and fare ; if in mat u rer life
, , , ,
y ou associated with vile persons w h o would ,
forego the contest of equality to be your allies ,
in trampling on inferiors ; and if both then and ,
since you have been suffered to deem your

,
wealth the compendium or equivalent of every

ability and every good quality i t would indeed
,
—
be immensely strange if yo u had n ot become ,
in due time the miscreant w ho may thank the

, ,
power o f the laws I n c rv rli z e d society that he is ,
not assaulted with cl u bs and s tones ; to who m

o n e could cordially wish the opportunity and the
consequences o f attempting his tyranny among

some such people as those su bmissiv e sons o f
nature in the forests o f N orth America ; and
whose dependents a n d do m e stic relations may
be almost forgiven when they shall one day
rej oice at his funeral .
MEMO I RS OF H IM S E L F . 45
LE T TER V .
I WI LL imagine only o n e case more on which ,
you would emphatically express your compas

sion tho u gh fo r one of the most daring beings
,
in the creation a c on t emn er of G od w ho ex

, ,
p lo de s his laws by denying his existence .
If you were so unacquainted with mankind ,
that such a being might be announced to you

as a rare o r singular phenomenon your conj e e
o
,
tures till yo u sa w and heard the man at the

, ,
nature and the exten t of the disc i pline through

which he must have advanced would b e led ,
~
toward something extraordinary And yo u .
might think that the term of that discipline

must have been very long ; since a quick train
o f impressio n s a short series Of mental grada
,
tions w ithin the little space of a few months

,
and years would not seem enough to have

,
m atured such a portentous heroism S urely the .
creature that thus lifts hi s voice and defies ,
all invisible power within the possibilities o f

infinity challenging whatever unknown being
,
may hear him and m a y appropriate that title

,
o f Almighty which i s pronounced in scorn to ,
evince his existence if he will by his vengeance

, , ,
’
46 ON A MA N S W R ITIN G
wa s not as yesterday a little child that wo u ld

tremble and cry at the approach of a di minutive
reptile .
But indeed it is heroism no longer if he ,
kn ow that there is no G od The wonder then .
turns on the great process by which a man ,
could grow to the immense intelligence which

can k now that there is n o G od What ages and .
what li ghts are requisite for THI S attainment !

This intelligence involves the very attributes of
D ivinity while a G od is denied F or unless this
, .
man i s omnipresent unless he i s at this momen t

,
in every place in the universe he cannot know ,
but there may be in some place manifesta

tions of a D eity by which even he would be
,
overpo wered If he does not know absolutely

.
e very agent in the universe the one that he does

,
n ot know may be G od If he is not himself

.
the chief agent in the universe and does not ,
know what is so that which is so may be G od

, .
If he is not in absol u te possession of all the .
propositions“ that constitute universal tru th the ,
o n e which he wants may be that there is a ,
G od If he cannot with certainty assign the

.
cause of all that he perceives to exist that ,
cause may be a G od If he does not know

.
every thing that has been done in the i mm e a

e ages that
su ra b l are past some things may ,
'
have been done by a G od Thus unless he .

,
knows all things that is precludes all other

, ,
divine existence by being D eity himself he ,

M EMOI R S OF H IM S E L F . 47
cannot kno w that the Bern g whose existence

he rejects does not exist But he must kn ow
, .
that he does not exist else he deserves equal

,
co n tempt and compassion for the te merity with

which he firmly avows his rej ection and acts
accordingly And yet a man O f ordinary age
.
and intelligence may present himself to you with

the avowal of being thus di stin guished from the
crowd ; and if he would describe the manner in
whic h he has a ttained this eminence you would ,
feel a melancholy interest in contemplating that

process of which the re sult is so prodigious .
If you did not know that there are more than

a few such examples you would sa y in view
-
, ,
ing this result I shou ld hope this is the con

,
sequenc e O f some malign ant intervention so

occasional that ages may pass away before it
return among men ; some peculiar conj un ction
of disastrous influences must have lighted on
your selecte d soul ; you have been struck by
that energy of evil which acted upon the spiri t s
of P haraoh and Epi pha n e s But give your own
.
description of what you have met with in a ,
world which has been deemed to present in

every part the indications O f a D eity Tell of .
the mysterious voices which have S poken to you

from the deeps O f the c r ea t i o n fi falsifying the
exp ressions marked on its face Tell o f the .
new ideas which like meteors passing over the

, ,
solitary wanderer gave you the first glimpses

,
o f tru th while benighted in the common belief

’
of the D ivine existence D escribe the whole .
train of causes which have operated to create

and consolidate that state Of mind which you ,
carry for w ard to the great experiment of futurity

under a di fferent kind O f hazard from all other
classes of men .
It would be found however that those cir , ,
c u m st a n c e s by which even a man who had been

,
presented from his infancy with the ideas of

religion could be elated into a contempt o f its
,
great obj ect were far from being extraordinary

,
.
They might have been incident to any man ,
whose mind had been cultivated and exercised

enough to feel interested abo u t holding any
system o f Opinions at all whose pride had been
gratified in the consciousness of having the
liberty of selectin g and chan ging Opinions ; and
whose habitual assent to the principles of r e
ligi o n had neither the firmness resulting from
,
decisive arguments n o r t he warmth o f pious ,
affection *
S uch a person had only in the first
.
,
It willobviou s tha t I a m de scribing the progr e ss of

be
o n e of t he humbl e r or de r o f a li e ns fro m a l l r eligion a n d n o t ,
t ha t by w hich t he gr ea t p hilosop hic l e a de rs ha v e a c n de d s e
t he dr e a ry e min enc e wh e r e t h e y look wi t h so much com

,
p la c en c
y up t o a v a c a n t he a v en a n d d own t o t he gulf of
,
a nnihil t iona T he i r progr e ss un doub t dly is much mor e sys

. e
t em a t i c an d delib era t e a n d a ccomp a ni e d O ft e n by a l a borious

,
sp e cula tion which t hough in e v e r so p erv er t e d a t ra in t he

, , ,
m in d is ea sily p e rsu a de d t o i de n t ify b e c a us e i t i s l a borious

, ,
with the s ea rch a ft er t ru t h an d the lov e of i t While how .

,
e v e r i t is in a p e rs e v e ring t r a in
,
f t hought a n d n o t by t he
o ,
M E MO I RS OF HIM S E L F . 49
place to come into intimate acquaintance with

,
a man who had the art of alluding to a sacred

,
subj ect in a manner which without appearing ,
like intentional contempt divested it of its ,
solemnity and w ho had possessed himself of a

fe w acute Observatio n s or plaus i ble maxims n ot ,
explicitly hostile to revealed religion but which , ,
when opport unely brought into View in con

n e x i o n with some points of it tended to throw ,
a degree o f doubt on their truth and authorit y .
ha s t y move m ents o f a m or e vulgar min d t h a t t h e y pursue ,
t h e ir de vi a t ion from so m e o f t he principl e s of r eligion in t o
a fin a l a b a ndonm e n t o f i t a l l t he y a r e v e ry gr ea t ly m is ta k e n
,
if th ey a ssure the m s elv e s t ha t the m Or a l c au s e s whi ch con

t ribu t e t o gui de a n d a ni m a t e t h e ir prog e ss a r e a ll o f a su b
r
lim e or de r ; a n d i f t h ey could b e fully r e v ea l e d t o t he ir o w n

v i ew the y might p er ha ps b e s e ver ely mort ifi ed t o fin d wha t
,
vulga r mo t ive whil e they w er e de spising vulgar m en h a v e

s, ,
rul e d t h e ir in t ell e c t u a l c ar e er P ride w hich i dcfli z e s s elf

.
, ,
which r e vol t s a t e very thi ng tha t com e s in the fo r m of di c ta tes ,
a n d e xult s t o fin d t ha t t h er e i s a possibili t y o f con t rov e rt ing
wh ether an y dicta t e s com e fr o m a grea t er tha n mo ta l sour c e r
r epugn a nc e a s w ell t o t he s e v er e an d comp r ehe nsiv e m o r a l i ty

o f the l a ws r e p u t e d o f divi n e a ppoin t m e t a s t o t h e feelin
n , g
o f a ccoun t a bl e n e ss t o a n a l l pow e rfu l Au t ho r i t y t h a t will n o t
-
,
l ea ve m or al l a ws to b e enforce d sol ely by the ir own s a nc

t ions ; con t e mp t o f in fer ior m en ; t he a t tr a c tion o f a fe w
bri lli a nt ex a m pl e s ; the fa shi o of a cla s ; the a mbit ion O f

n s
sh ewing wha t a bili t y c an do a n d wh bol ss

,
a t dn e c a n dar i f
e —
such things a s t h e s e a ft e r all ha v e e xcit ed a n d di re c t e d the

, ,
effort s o f a p hilosophic S piri t t he unb e li e ving p hi losop her

,
mus t b e con t en t t o a cknowl e dg e pl ent y o f comp anions d an
riv a ls a m ong little m e w h a re q u it

n ,
o c a p a ble o f b eing
e as
a c t u a t e d by such el e v a t e d principl e s a s him e l f s .
E
’
50 ON A MAN S W R IT I NG
E specially if either or b oth of these men ha d

any decided moral tendencies and pursuits of a
kind which C hristianity condemned the friend of ,
intellectual a n d moral freedom was assiduous to

insinuate that according to the pri nciples of
, ,
reason and nature at least it would be di fficult ,
to prove the wisdom or the necessity O f some of

those dictates of religion which must however , , ,
he admitted be respected because divine L et

, ,
.
the mind have once acquired a feeling as if the ,
sacred system might in some points he i n v a li

dated and the involuntary inference would be
,
rapidly extended to other parts and to the ,
whole N or was it lo n g pr o b a bly b efore this

.
_
n ew instr u ctor plainly avowed his own entire .

~
emancipation from a popular prejudice to ,
which he was kindly sorry to find a sen sible

yo u ng man still in captivity But he had no
'
doubt that the deductions o f enlightened reason ,
would successfully appe al to ev ery liberal mind .
And accordingly after perhaps a few months of

,
frequent intercourse With the addition of two or

,
three books and the ready aid o f all the r e c o l

,
le c t e d vices of pretended C hristians and pre ,
tended christian churches the whole venerable ,
magnificence of revelation was annihilated .
Its illuminations respecting the D ivinity its ,
miracles its M essiah its authority o f moral

, ,
legislation its regions Of immortality and retri

,
b u t i o n the s u blime virtues and devotion o f its

,
prophets apostles and martyrs t o gether with

, , ,
.
ME MO I RS OF H IM SE L F . 51
the rea so ni ngs o f S o many accom plished a dv o

’ ‘
c af es ,
credibility of histo ry itself were
a n d t he ,
”
vanished all away ; while t he c On v e rt exulti ng ,
’
in hi s d i sen chantment felt a stra nge pleasure ,
t o b eh old n o t hing b u t a d r eary train of i m

!
p ostures an d credulity st retc hing over those

‘
"
past ages which lately appeared a scene o f

“
di vine government ; and t he thickest E gyptian
shades fallen o n that total vast futurit y toward
which the spiri t o f inspiration had t hrown some
rand though a r ti a l l ea ms
‘
'
g p g .
’
N ot hin g t e mpts the mind S O po w erfu lly o n ,
as to hav e successfully begun to demolish what

has been long regarded as most sacred The
‘
S oldi er s of C aesar probably had never felt them

'
selv es SO brave as after they had cut down

,
the M a ssilian grove ; nor the P hilistines as

‘ ‘
'
when the a rk of the G od of Israel wa s among

‘
their sp oi ls ! the mind is proud o f its triumphs

in proportion to the reputed greatness of what
'
i t has o verco me And many examples w ould

.
seem to indicate that the first proud t rIu mphs

ove r religi ous faith involve so m
,
e fatality of
a dv a n c m h owever formidabl the mass of ar
‘
g , e
g u m en t s which may obstr uct the progress to ,
further victories But perh aps the intellectual

.
di fficulty of the progress might be less than a

zealous believer would be apt to imagi ne AS .
the ide a s w hich give the greatest distinctness to

o u r conce tion Of a D ivine Being are I mparted
p
‘
by revelation and rest o n i t s authority the

, ,
E 2
’
rej ection of that revelation would in a great

m easure banish those ideas and destroy that ,
distinctness We have but t o advert to pure

.
heathenism to perceive what a faint conception

,
o f this Being could be formed by the strongest
intellect in the absence o f revelation and after

the r ej ec t i on o f it the mind would naturally be
,
carried very far back toward that darkness ; S O

that Some of the attributes o f the D eity would
immediately become as they were with the ,
heathens subj ects of doubtful conj ecture and

,
hopeless speculation But from this state of

.
thought it i s perhaps n o vast transition to that ,
in which his being also shall begin to appear a

subj ect o f doubt ; S ince the reality o f a being
is with difficulty apprehended in proportion as ,
its attributes are u n de fin a ble An d when the .
mind is brought into doubt w e know it easily ,
advances to disbelief if to the smallest plausi

,
b i lit y of arguments be a dded any powerful

moral cause for wishing suc h a conclusion In .
the present case there mig ht be a very pow

,
e r fu l cause ,
besides that pride o f victory which
I have j ust noticed The progress in guilt
.
,
which generally follows a rej ection of revela

tion makes it still more and more desirable
,
that no obj ect S hould remain to be feared It .
was not strange therefore if this man read

, ,
with avidity o r even strange if he read W ith

,
something which his wishes completed into

conviction a few of the writers who have
, ,
attempted the la st achievement of presumptuous

man After inspecting these pages a while he
.
,
raised his e y es and the G reat S pirit was gone

,
.
M ighty transformation of all things ! The lu

m i n a r i e s of heaven no longer shone with his
splendour ; the adorned earth no longer looked
fair with his beauty ; the darkness o f night had
ceased to be rendered solemn by his maj esty ;
life and thought were n o t an e ffect O f his all
pervading energy ; it w a s not his providence
that supported an infinite charge of dep en den t
beings ; his empire o f justice n o longer spread
over the universe ; n or had even that universe
S prung from his all creating power Yet whe n
-
.
ou Sa w the intellectual course brought to this

y
Sign al conclusion though aware of the force of
,
each preceding and predisposing circumstance ,

“
you might nevertheless be somewhat struck
with the suddenness of the final decision and ,
m ight be curious to know what kind of argu

ment and eloquence could SO quickly finish the
work Yo u would examine those pages with
.
the expectation probably o f something more

powerful than subtlety attenuated into inanity ,
and in tha t invisible and impalpable state

, ,
mistaken by the writer and willingly admitted

,
by the perverted reader for profundity Of rea

,
soning ; than attempts to destroy the certainty ,
or preclude the application O f some o f those

,
great familiar principles which must be taken

as the basis of human reasoning or it can hav e
,
’
54 ON A MA S W R IT I N G
N
no basis ; than suppositions which attribute

the order of the universe to such causes as it
would be felt r idiculous to pronounce ade q uate
to produce the most trifling piece of mechanism ;
than mystic a l j argon which under the name of ,
n a t ur e
, alternately exalts almost into the pro
r t i es of a god and reduces far below those
p e ,
of a man some imaginary and u n de fin able agent

,
or agency which performs the most amazing

,
works without power and displays the mos t

,
amazing wisdom without intelligence ; than a

zealous preference of that part of every grea t
dilemma which merely confounds and S inks
the mind to that which elevates while it
overwhelms it ; than a constant en deavour to
degrade as far as possible every thing that is
sublime in our S pec ulations a n d feelings ; or
than monstrous parallels between religion a n d
mythology You wo uld be still more u n pr e
.
pared to expect o n SO solemn a subj ect the

occasional wit or affec t ation o fwit which would
, ,
seem rather prematurely expressive of exulta

tion that the grand F oe is retiring .
A feeling of complete certainty would hardly

be thus rapidly at tained ; but a S light degree
of remaining doubt and o f consequent a ppr e
,
hen si on would n o t p revent this disciple o f dark

,
ness from accepting the invitation to pledge

himself to the cause in so m e associated band ,
where profaneness and vice would con solidate

impious opinions without the aid o f a ugmented
M EM OI RS OF H IM S E L F . 55
con viction ; and where the fraternity having ,
been elated by the S pirit of social daring to

sa
y What, is the Almighty that w e should serve
him ? the individuals might a cquire each a
firmer boldness to exclaim Who is the L ord ,
that I S hould obey his voice ? Thus easy it

is my friend for a man to meet that train of
, _
,
influences which may se duc e hi m to live an

infidel though it may betray him to die a
,
terrified believer ; of which t he infatuation ,

while it promises him the i m punity o f non
existence and de grades him to desire it i m
, ,
pels him to fill the measure of his iniquity ,
till the divine wrath come upon him to the

.
utt ermost .
LE TTER VI .
IN recounting so many influences that ope

rate o n m an it is g rievous to Observe that the
,
incomparably n o blest of all religion is coun , ,
t er a c t e d with a fatal success by a perpetual
conspiracy o f almost all the r est aided by the ,
“
intrinsic predispositi on o f this our perverted
n a ture which yields itself with such consenting
,
facility t o every impression tending to estrange

it still further fr O m G o d .
’
It is a cause for wonder and sorrow to see ,
millions of rational creatures growing into their

permanent habits under the conforming e fficacy
,
of every thing which it were good for them to

resist and receiving n o part of those habits
,
from impressions O f the S upreme O bject They .
are con t ent that a narrow scene o f a diminutive

world with its atoms and evils S hould usurp
, ,
and deprave and finish their education for

endless existence while the Infinite S pirit is
,
here whose sacred energy received on their

, ,
minds might create the most excellent con

,
dition of their nature a n d in defiance O f a

, ,
thousand malignant forces attempting to stamp

on them an opposite image convey them into ,
eternity i n his likeness O h why is it so .

,
possible that this greatest inhabitant of every

place where men are living S hould be the ,
last to whose society they are attracted or ,
of whose continual presence they feel the

importance ? Why is it possible to be sur
rounded with the intelligent R eality which ,
exists wherever we are with attributes that ,
are infinite and not feel respecting all other

,
things which may be attempting to press o n

o u r minds and a ffect their character as if they ,
retained with difficul t y their S hadows O f ex

i st e n c e and were continually o n the point O f
,
vanishing into n othing ? Why is this st u p e n

dous P ower so unperceived and silent while ,
present over all the scenes of the earth and

, ,
M E MOI RS OF H I MS E L F . 57
In all the paths and abodes of men ? Why

does he keep his glory veiled behind the shades
and visions of the material world ? Why does
not this latent glory sometimes beam forth
w ith such a manifestation as could never be
forgotten nor could ever be remembered with
,
out an emotion of religious awe ? And why ,
in contempt Of all that he ha s displayed to

excite either fear or love is it still possible for
,
a rational creat ure so to live that it must finally

,
come to an interview wi th hi m in a character

completed by the full assemblage of those a c
ui si t i o n s which have separately been dis
q ,
approved by hi m through every stage o f the

accumulation ? Why is it possible for feeble
creatures to maintain their little dependent
beings fortified and invincible in si n amidst ,
the presence of essential purity ? W hy does

n ot the apprehension of such a Being strik e
through the mind with such intense antipathy
to evi l as to blast with death every active
,
principle that is beginning to pervert it and ,
render gradual additions O f depravity growing ,
into the solidity of habit as impossible as for

,
perishable materials to be raised into structures

a midst the fires of the last da ? How is it
y
possible to escape the solicitude which should ,
be inseparable from the knowledge that the

beams o f all searching intelligence are con
-
ti n u al ly darting o n us and pervading u s ; that

,
we are exposed to the piercing inspection ,

’
58 .
ON A M AN S WR I TIN G
c ompared to which the concentrated attention

of all the beings in the universe besides would ,
be but as the powerless gaze o f an infant Why

is faith that facul t y Of spiritual apprehension
, ,
so absent o r so incomparably less perceptive

,
O f the grandest o f i t s Obj ects than the senses ,
are of theirs ? While there is a S pirit in i n

finite energy through the universe w hy have ,
the few particles of dust which enclose our

spirits the power to intercept a ll sensible c O m
m u n i c a t i on with him a n d to place them as in a
,
vacuity where the sovereign E ssence had been

,
precluded or extinguished ?
T he reverential submission with which you ,
contem plate the mystery of omnipotent bene

v ol e n c e forbearing to exert the agency which ,
could assume an instantaneous ascendency in

e very mind over the causes of de pravation a n d
ruin will not avert your compassion from the

,
unhappy persons who are practically without

G od in the world ” And if your intellect could
.
be enlarged to a capacity for comprehending

the whole measure and depth of disaster con
t a i n e d I n this exclusion ( an exclusion under
,
which a human bein g having the full and fear

ful tr u th o f his S ituation revealed to him would
behold as relatively to hi s happiness the whole
, ,
resources o f the creation sunk as into dust and

ashes and all the causes of j oy and hope r e
,
du c e d to insipidity and lost in despair ) you ,
would feel a distressing emotion at each recital

ME MO I RS OF HIM S E L F . 59
of a life in which religion had n o S hare ; and

you would be tempted to w i sh that some S pirit
from the other world empowered with a n ,
eloquence tha t might threaten to alarm the

S lumbers o f the dead w o uld throw hims elf i n ,
t he way of this one mortal and this one more

.
, ,
to protest in sentences of lightning and thunder

, ,
against the infatuation that can a t once ackn ow

ledge there is a G od and be content to forego ,
every connexion with him but that of danger , .
“
Yo u would wish they S hould rather be assailed
by the terror of the L ord in whatever w ere ,
its m ost a ppalling form than retain the satis ,
faction o f ca reles sness till the day of his mercy

~
be p a st .
But you will need no such enlargement O f

comprehension in order to compassio n ate the
,
S it ua tion of persons who with reason sou nd to ,
think and hearts not strangers to feeling h a ve

, ,
advanced far into life perhaps near to its c lose

, ,
without having felt the influence of religion .
If there is such a Being a s w e mean by the

ter m G od the ordinary int elligence of a serious
,
mind Will be quite enough to see tha t it must

be a melan choly thing to pass through life and ,
quit it just as if there were not And some

, .
times it will appear as strange as it is melan

c ho l ; especially to a person who has been
y
pious from his youth H e would be inclined
”
.
to say to a person who ha s nearly finished an

,
irreligious life What would have bee n j ustly

,
’
60 ON A MAN S WRITING
thought of you if you could have been ha

,
bi t u a l
ly in the society O f the wisest and best
men o n earth and have acquired n o degree
,
o f con formity ; much more if you could all the

,
while have acquired progressively the mean

ness prejudices follies and vices o f the lowest
, , , ,
society with which you might have been at

,
intervals thrown in unavoidable contact ? You

might have been asked how tha t w a s possible .
But then through what fatality have you been

able during S O many years spent in the pre
,
sence o f a G o d to continue even to this hour

,
as clear of all signs of assi milation or impres

sion as if the D eity were but a poetical fiction ,
or an idol in some temple of Asia — E vidently ,
as the immediate cause through want O f thought

,
concerning him .
And why did yo u not think of him ? D id a

most solemn thought of him never on c e pene
trate your soul while admitting i t true that
,
there is such a Bein g ? If it never did what ,
is reason what is mind what is man

, ,
? If it
did once how could its e ffects stop there ?
,
Ho w could a deep thought o n so transcendent ,
a subj ect fail to impose o n the mind a

,
permanent necessity o f frequently recalling

it ; as some awful o r magnificent S pectacle
would haunt you with a long recurrence Of
its image even were the spectacle itself seen
,
no m ore ?
Why did you not think of him How could

M EMOI RS OF H I M SEL F . 61
you estimate so meanly your mind with all its

capacities as to feel no regret that an endles s
,
series o f t r ifle s S hould seize and occupy as their

,
right all your thoughts and deny them both the

, ,
liberty and the ambition o f going on to the

greatest O bj ect ? Ho w while called to the con
,
t e mpla ti o n s which absorb the spirits o f Heaven ,
could you be SO patient of the task of counting

’
the flies of a summer s day
Why did you not think of him ? Yo u knew
yourself to be in t he hands o f some Being from
whose power you could not be withdrawn ; was
it not an equal defect of curiosity and prudence
to indulge a careless confidence that sought no
acquaintan ce with his nature as regarded in ,
itself and in its aspect o n his creatures ; nor

ever anxiously m q u rr e d what conduct should
be observed toward him and what expe c t ations
,
might be entertained from him ? You would

have been alarmed to have felt yourself in the
power of a mysterious stranger o f your own ,
feeble S pecies ; but let the stranger be omni

potent and you cared no more
,
.
Why did you not think of him O ne would

deem that the thought o f him must to a ,
serious mind come second to almost every

,
thought The thought o f virtue would suggest

.
the thought of both a lawgiver and a rewarder ;

the thought of crime O f an aven ger ; the
,
thought of sorrow of a consoler ; the thought

,
o f an inscrutable mystery o f a n intellige n ce

,
’
that u nd er stan ds it ; the thought of that ever

moving activity which prevails in the system of
the universe O f a supreme agent ; the tho u ght o f
,
’
the human family of a great father ; the thought

,
o f all b e ing n ot necessary and self existent of -

,
a creator ; the thought of life of a preserver ; ,
and the thought of death of an uncontrollable ,
disposer By what dexterity therefore of irre

.
, ,
ligi ou s caution did you avoid pr e c i sely e v e ry

'
tra ck where the idea O f him would have met

you or elude that idea if it came
,
? And what
must sou nd reason pronounce of a mind which ,
in t he train of millions o f thoughts has wan ,
dered to all things under the su n to all the ,
p ermanent Obj ects or vanishing appearances in

the creation but never fixed its thought on the
,
~
S upreme R eality never appro a ched lik e M oses

'
”
, ,
to see this great sight ?
If it were a thing which we might be allowed

to imagine that the D ivine Being were to ma
,
n ife st himself in some striking manner to the ‘
senses as by some resplendent a ppea r a n c e a t

,
‘
the midnight hour or by rekindling o n an ,
elevated mountain the long extinguished fires

o f S inai ; and uttering voices fro m those fires ;
would he not compel from you an attention

whic h you now refuse ? Yes you will sa y he , ,
would then seize the mind with irresistible force ,
and religion would become its most absolute

sentiment ; but he only presents himself to
faith Well and is it a worthy reason for
.
,
disregardi ng him that you on ly believ e him to

,
be present and infinitely glorious ? IS it the

o ffice of faith to veil to frustrat e to anni hi late
, ,
in e ffect its Obj ect ? C annot y ou reflect that

, ,
the grandest representation O f a spiritual and

divin e Being to the senses would bear not only
n o proportion to his glory but n o relation to
,
his n ature ; and could be adapted only to an

inferior dispensation o f religion and to a people ,
w ho with the exception of a most extremely

,
small number of men had been totally untaught

,
to carry their thoughts beyond the Obj ects O f

sense ?
Are you not aware that such a r epr e
,
sen t a t i o n would considerably tend to restrict

you in y our contemplation to a defined image ,
and therefore a most in a dequate and su b o r di

n ate idea of the divine Being ? while the idea
admitted by faith though less immediately st ri k
,
ing is capable of an illimitable expansion by

, ,
the addition of all that pr o gr ess1 v e thought can

accumul a te under the continual certainty tha t
,
all is still infinitely S hort o f the reality .
O n the review of a character thus grown in ,
the exclusion of the religi ous influences to t he ,
mature and perhaps ultimate state the senti ,
ment of pious b ene v olence would b e —I regard ,
o u as an Obj ect o f great compassion , unles s

y
there can be no felicity in friendship with t he
Al mighty un less there be no glory in being
,
a ssi mi l a t e d t o hi s excellence
f
u nless there be
,
no et e rnal rewards for his devoted ser va nts ,

’
unless there be no danger in meeting him at ,
length after a life estranged eq u ally from hi s

,
love and his fear I deplore at every period

.
,
and crisis In the revie w of your life that reli ,
gion was not there If that had been there

.
,
your youthfu l animation would neither have

been dissipated in the fr ivolit y which in the ,
morning of the S hort day o f life fairly and ,
formally sets aside all serious business for tha t

day nor woul d have sprung forward into the
,
emulation of vice o r the bravery of profane

,
ness If religion had been there that one

.
,
despicable companion and that other malignant ,
one would not have seduced you into their

,
society or would not have retained you to

,
share their degradatio n And if religion had .
accompanied the subsequent progress of your

life it would have elevated you to rank at
, .
,
this hour with t hose saints who will soon

,
be a dded to the spirits O f the just Instead .
o f which what are you n o w and what are your

, ,
expectations as looking to that world where ,
piety alone can hope to find such a sequel o f

existence as will inspire exultation in the r e
,
t r o sp e c t of this introductory life in which the ,
S pirit took its impress for eternity from com

m u n i c a t i o n with G o d ?
O n the other hand it would be interesting ,
to record or to hear the history o f a char acter

, ,
which has received its form and reached ,
its maturity under the strongest e fficacy o f

,
M E MOI RS OF H IM S E L F . 65
religion . We do not know that there is a more

b en e fic e n t or a more di r ect mode o f the divine
agency in any part o f the creation than that
which apprehends a man as apostolic lan ,
guage expresses it amidst the unthinking crowd

, .
,
constrains him to serious reflec t ion subdues ,
him under persuasive conviction elevates hi m ,
to devotion and matures him in progressive

,
virtue in order to his passing finally to a

,
nobler state o f existence When he has long .
been comma n ded by this influen ce he will be ,
happy to look back to its first operations ,
whether they were mingled in early life almost

insen sibly with his feelings or ca me on him ,
with mighty forc e at some particular time and ,
in con n exion with some assignable and me

m o r a b le circumstance which was apparently
,
the instr umental cause He will trace Th e pro

.
gress o f this his better life with grateful a c ,
kn o wle dg m en t to the sacred powe r that ha s

wrought him to a confirmation o f religious
habit which puts the final seal on his character .
In the great maj ority of things habit is a ,
greater plague t ha n e v er afflicted E gypt ! i n

»
religious charac t er it is eminently a felicity

,
.
The devout man exults t o feel that in aid O f

the si mp le force o f the divine pri nc i ples within
him there has grown by time an accessional
,
power which has almost taken place of his

,
will and holds a firm though qu iet domination

,
thro u gh the general action of his mind He .
F
’
fe els this confirmed habit as the grasp of the

hand of G od which will never let him go
, .
F rom this adva nced state he looks with con

fiden c e on futurity and says I carry the i n
, ,
delible mark upon me that I belong to G od ;

by being devoted to him I am free o f the
universe ; and I am ready to go to any world
to which he shall please to transmit me cer ,
tain that every where in height or depth he

, ,
willacknowledge me fo r ever .
LETTER VII .
T HE preceding letters have attempted to

exhibit only general views of the influences ,
by which a reflective man may perceive the

moral condition of his mi n d to have been de
t er mi n ed
.
In descending into more particular illustra

tions there would have been no end of en u m e
,
rating the local circumstances the relationships ,
o f life the professions and employments and

, ,
the accidental events which may have a ffected

,
the character A person w ho feels any i n

.
t er e st in reviewing what has formed thus far

,
his education fo r futurity may carry his o w n ex

,
amination into the most distinct particularity

M EMOI RS OF H IM S E L F . 67
A few miscellaneous observations will conclude

the essay .
You will have Observed that I have said

comparatively little o f that which forms the ex
t er i or and in general account the main su b
,
’
stance O f the history of a man s life the train
,
—
of his fortunes and actions If an adventurer .
or a soldier writes memoirs of himself fo r the

information or amusement of the p u blic he ,
m a y do well to keep hi s narrative alive by

a constant crowded course of facts ; for the
greater part of his readers will excuse him the
trouble of investigating and he might occa
,
si o n a l
ly feel it a convenience to be excused
from disclosing if he had investigated the his
, ,
tory and merits of his intern a l principles N or .
can this ingenuousness be any part o f his

d u ty any more than it is that o f an e xhibiter
,
in a public S how as long as he tells all that

,
probably b e professes to tell where he has

—
been what he has witnessed and the more

, ,
reputable portion of what he has done L et .
him go on with his lively anecdotes or hi s ,
legends o f the marvellous or his gazettes of

,
marches stratagems and skirmishes and there

, ,
is no Obligation fo r him to turn either penitent

or philosoph e r o n our hand s But I am sup
—
posing a man to retrace himself through his

past life in order to acquire a deep self know
,
-
ledge and to record the investigation for his

,
o w n instruction Through such a retrospective

.
F 2
’
exa mination the exterior life will hold but the

,
second place in attention as being the im per ,
fe e t o ffspring of that internal state which it ,
is the primary and more difficult obj ect to r e

vi ew F rom a n e ffectual inquisition into this
.
inner man the investigator may proceed o u t

,
ward to the course o f his actions ; of which he

,
will thus have become qualified to form a much

juster estimate than he could by any exercise
,
of j udgment upon them regarded m erely a s

exterior facts NO doubt that sometimes also
.
,
in a contrary process the j udgment will be ,
directed upon the dispositions and principles

within by a consideration of the actions with
out w hich will serve as a partial explicatio n
,
o f the interior character S till it is that i n .
t er i or char a cter whether displayed in actions

,
or n o t which forms the leading Obj ec t of i n

,
q uiry . The chief circu m stances of his practical

life will however require to be noted both for
. , ,
the purpose of so much illustration as they will

a fford of the state O f his mind and because they ,
mark the points a n d distinguish the stages of

, ,
his progress .
Though in memoirs inte n ded for pu blication ,
a large S hare o f incident and action would

generally be necessary yet there are some men ,
whose mental hi story alone might be very i n

t e r e st i n g to reflective readers ; as for instance , ,
that of a thinking man remarkable for a num ,

~
ber o f complete changes of his speculative

M EM OI RS OF HIM S E L F . 69
system F rom Observing the usual tenacity of

.
views once deliberately adopted in mature life ,
w e regard as a curious phenomenon the man

whose mind has been a kind o f c a r a v a n ser a of
opinions entertained awhile and then sent o n
, ,
pilgrimage ; a man w ho ha s admired and dis

missed syste m s with the same facility with which
John Bun ele found adored married and i n , , ,
t er r e d his succession of wives each on e being

, , ,
for the time not only better than all that went
,
before but the best i n the world You admire

,
.
the versatile aptitude o f a mind Sliding into ,
successive forms of belief in this intellectual ,
mete mpsychosis by which it animates so many

new bodies of doctrines in their turn And as .
none of those dying pangs which hurt you in

a tale Of India attend the desertion of each
,
of these speculative forms which the SOu l has

awhile inhabited yo u are extremely amused by
,
the number of transmigrations and curious to se e ,
what is to be the next ; fo r you never reckon

’
on the present state of such a m an s views as ,
to be fo r permanence unless perhaps when he ,
has terminated his course o f believing every

thing in ultimately believing n othing
, E ven .
then unless he be very O ld or feel more pride

, ,
in being a sceptic the conqueror of all systems

, ,
than he ever felt i n being the champion of one ,
even then it is very possible he may spring

,
up again like an igneous vapour from a ho g

, ,
and glimmer through new mazes or retrace ,

’
70 ON A MA S W R ITIN G
N
his course through half o f those he went

errant through before You will observe that .
,
no respect is attached to this P roteus of opinion ,
after his changes have been m u ltiplied ; as no

party expect him to remain with them o r ,
account him much of an acquisition if he

sho u ld . O ne or perhaps two, considerable ,
changes will be regarded as signs O f a liberal

,
inquirer and therefore the party to which his

,
first or his second i n tellectual conversion may

assign him will receive him gladly But he
, .
will be deemed to have abdicated the dignity

o f reason when it is found that he can ad opt
,
n o principles but to betray them ; and it will

be perhaps justly suspected that there is some
thing extremely infirm in the structure of that
mind whatever vigour may mark some of its
,
Operations to which a series of very different

,
and s ometimes contrasted theories can appear ,
in succession demonstratively true and which ,
imitates sincerely the perverseness which P e

t r u c hi o only a ffected declaring that which was
,
yesterday to a c ertainty the sun to be to day

, , ,
-
,
as certainly the moon , .
It would be curious to Observe in a man w ho

should make such an exhibition o f the course
of his mind the S ly deceit O f self love While
,
-
.
he despises the syste m which he has rej ected ,
it must n ot imply so great a want o f sense in

hi m once to have embraced it as in the rest , ,
w ho were then o r are now its adherents and

ME MO I RS OF HI MS E L F . 7l
advocates N o in hi m it was no debility of

.
,
intellect it w a s at most but its immaturity or

,
temporary lapse ; and probably b e is prepared

to explain to you that such peculiar circum
stances as might warp a very strong and liberal
,
mind attended his consideration of the subj ect

, ,
and misl ed him to admit the belief of what

others prove themselves fools b y believing .
Another thing apparent in a record of changed

Opinions would be what I have noticed before
, ,
that there is scarcely any such thing in the

world as simple conviction It would be amu .
sing to Observe how the judgment had in one ,
instance been overruled into acquiescence by

,
the admi ration of a celebrated name or in ,
another in to Opposition by the envy o f it ;

,
how most opportunely judg ment discovered the

truth just at the time that interest c ou ld be
essentially served by avowing it ; how easily
the impartial examiner could be induced to
’
adopt some part o f another man s opmro n s ,
after that other had zealously approved some

favourite especially if unpopular part of his ;
,
as the P harisees alm ost became partial even

to C hrist at the moment that he defended
,
one of their doctrines against the S adducees .
It would be curious to see how a respectful

’
estimate of a man s character and talents might
be changed in consequence of some personal
,
inattention experienced from him into depre ,
c ia t i n invective against him or hi s intellectual

g
’
performances and yet the railer thou gh a c

, ,
t u a t e d solely by petty revenge account himself , ,
all the while the model of equity and sound

,
u d men t
’
j g l
It might be seen how the
e
.
p a
tronage of power could elevate m i serable pre

judices into revered wisdom while poor old ,
E xperience was mocked with thanks for her

instruction a n d how the vicinity and societ y of
the rich and as they are termed great could
, , ,
perhaps transmute a mind that seemed to be

of the stern consistence of the early R oman
republic into the gentlest wax o n which C or
,
ruption could wish to imprint the venerable

creed , The right divine of kings to govern
wro n g with the pious and loyal inference of
,
the flagrant iniquity of expelling Tarquin I .
am supposing the o bser v er to perceive all these

accommodating dexterities O f reason ; for it
were probably absurd to expect that any mind
should itself be able in its review to detect all
, ,
its o wn obliquities aft er having been so long

,
beguiled like the m ariners in a s tory which I

,
remember to have read who followed the di ,
rection o f their compass infallibly right as they ,
could have no doubt till they arrived at an ,
’
enemy s port where they were seized and m ade
,
S laves It happened that the wicked captain

.
,
in order to betray the S hip had concealed a ,
large loadstone at a little distance on one S ide

o f the needle .
I r e m e mb e r s ev e ral re m a rka bl e ins ta nc e s of t his .

On the no t io n s a n d expectations of one st a ge

o f life , I suppose most reflecting men look back
with a kind of compassionate contempt though ,
it may be Often with a mingling wish that some

o f its enthusiasm O f feeling could be recovered ,
I mean the period between childhood and

maturity They are prompted to exclaim
.
,
What fools we have been while they recollect

—
how sincerely they entertained and advanced

the most ridiculous speculations on the i n
t e r e st s of life and the questions of truth ; how
,
regretfully astonished they were to find t he

mature sense of some of those around them
so completely wrong ; yet in other instances
what veneratio n they felt for authorities for
which they have S ince lost all their respect ;
what a fantastic importance they attached to
some m ost trivial things ; what co mplaints
*
against their fate were uttered on account O f

disappointments which they have since r e c o l
le c t e d with gaiety or self congratulation ; what
-
happiness of E lysium the y expected from

sources which would soon have failed to i m
part even common satisfac t ion ; and how sure
they were that the feelings and opinions then
predominant would continue through life .
If a reflective aged man were to find at the
I re colle ct a you th o f som e a cquir em en t s who ea rn e s t ly

,
she d the t im e m igh t o n e da y a r rive when his n a m e Should

,
b e a dorn e d wi th t he a ddi t ion o f D D which he d ee m e d on e

. .
,
o f the s u blim e s t o f hum a n dis t inc t ions .

’
74 ON A MAN S W RI TIN G
bottom o f an Old chest where it had lain ,
forgotten fifty years a record which he had

,
written o f himself when he was young simply ,
and vividly describing his whole heart and

pursuits and reciting verbatim many recent
,
passages o f the language S incerely uttered to

hi s favou rite companions ; would he n o t read
it with more wonder than almost any other
writing could at his age excite ? His con
sc i o u sn e ss would be strangely confused in the
attempt to verify his identity with such a being .
H e would feel the young man thus introduced ,
to him separated by so wide a distance as to

,
render all congenial communion impossible .
At every sentence he might repeat F oolish

, ,
youth I have no sympathy with yo u r feelings ,
I can hold no converse with your understanding .
Thus yo u se e that in the course o f a long li fe

a man may be several moral persons so dis ,
similar that i f you could find a real individual

,
that S hould nearly exemplify the chara cter in

o n e Of these stages and another that should
,
exemplify it in the next and SO o n to the ,
last and then bring these several persons t o

,
gether into on e company which would thus ,
be a representation o f the successive states Of

o n e man they would feel themselves a most
,
heterogeneous party would Oppose and p r o

,
bably despise o n e another and soon separate

, ,
n o t caring if they were never to meet again .
The dissimilarity in mind betw ee n the t w o

ME MOI RS OF H IM S E L F . 5
extremes the youth o f seventeen and the sage

,
o f seventy might perhaps be little less than

,
that in countenance ; and as the one of these

contrasts might be contemplated by an old
man if he had a true portrait for w hich he
,
sa t in the bloom O f life and should hold it b e ,
side a mirro r in which he looks at his present

countenance the other would be powerfully
,
felt if he had such a genuine and detailed

memoir as I have supposed M ight i t not be .
worth while for a self observant person in early -
life to preserve for the inspection of the old

, ,
man if he should live S O lo n g such a mental

, ,
likeness o f the young one ? If it be n o t drawn

near the time it can never be drawn with
,
su fficient a c c u r a c yfi ’
If this sketch of life were not w ritten till a
very mature or an advanced period of it a ,
somewhat interesting point would be to dis ,
t i n gu i sh the periods during which the mind

made its greatest progress in the enlargement
o f its faculties and the time when they appear
,
It is t o b e a cknowl edge d t hat the a bove repre s enta tion

o f the ch a ng e s a n d t he con tr a s t is give n in t he s t rong e s t
colouring i t will a dmi t M a ny m en p erhaps t he m ajorit y
.
, ,
reta i thr ough life so m u h of the chi e f char a ct eris t ic

n c
qualit y o f the dispositions de velop ed or a cquire d in youth ,
an d o f t he o r de r O f no t ions t h e n t a k e n in t ha t t he y r e m a in
,
r a di c a l
l o f t he s a m e ch a r a c t er no t w i t hs t a n di g v e ry gr e a t
n
y ,
m o difi c a t ions effe c t e d by t i m e a n d e v en t s ; S O t ha t in a ,
general a ccoun t of m en the m en ta l differ enc e b et w een the

,
t w o e x t r e m e s of life m a y b e l e ss t h a n the p hysic a l .

’
to have reached their insuperable limits And .
if there have been vernal seasons if I may so ,
express it of goodness also periods separated

, ,
Of f from the latter course of life by some point

O f time subsequent to which the christian
virtues have had a less generous growth this ,
is a circumstance still more worthy to be

strongly marked N o doubt it will be with a
.
reluctant hand that a man marks either of these

circumstances for he could not reflect without ,
regret that many children have grown into

,
m aturity and great talent and many unformed ,
or defective characters into established excel

lence S ince the period when he ceased to b e
,
come abler or better P ope at the age o f fifty

.
, ,
would have been incomparably more mortified

than as Johnson says his readers are at the
, , ,
fact if he had perceived it that he could not

, ,
then write materially better than he had written

at the age of twenty And the consciousness
— . .
of having passed many years without any moral

and religious progress ought to be not merely
,
the regret for an infelicity but the remorse o f ,
guilt ; Since though natural causes must some

,
where have circumscribed and fixed the extent

o f the intellectual power an advancement in th e ,
nobler distinctions has still continued to be

possible and will be possible till the eveni n g of
,
rational life The instruction resulting from a

.
clear estimate o f what ha s been e ffected or not

in this capital concern is the chief advantage to
,
be derived from recording the stages o f life ,
comparing one part wi th another and bringing ,
t he whole into a comparison with the standard
of perfe ction and the illustri ous human ex

,
amples which have approached that standard

the nearest In forming this estimate we shall
.
,
keep in view the vast series of advant a ges and

monitions which has run parallel to the train
,
o f years ; and it will be inevitable to recollect ,
with severe mor ti fic a ti o n the sang uine calcula

,
tions of improvement of the best ki nd which at ,
various periods the mind delighted itself in

making for other given future periods should ,
life be protracted till then and promised itself ,
most cer t a i n ly to realize by the time o f their

arrival The m or tific a ti on will be still more
.
grievous if there was at those past seasons

,
something more hopeful than mere confident

presumptions if there were actual favourable
,
omens which partly justified while they raised

, ,
in ourselves and others anticipations that have

,
mournfully failed M y dear friend it is very

.
,
melancholy that EVI L must be so palpable so ,
hatefully conspicuous to an enlightened con

science i n every retrospect o f a human life
,
.
If the supposed memoirs be to be carried

forward as life advances each period being r e ,
corded as soon as i t has elapsed they S hould ,
not be composed by small daily or weekly accu

mu la t i o n s ( though this practice may have its
,
use in keeping a man observ ant o f himself ) but

, ,
’
at certain considerable intervals as at the end

,
of each year or any o t her meas u re of time that

,
is ample en ough for some definable alteration

to have taken place in the character or attain
ments
.
It is needless to say that the style should be

as S imple as possible unless indeed the writer
—
accounts the theme worthy of being bedecked

with brilliants and flowers If he idolize his
.
o w n image S O much as to think it deserves to
be enshrined in a frame o r cabinet o f gold why , ,
let hi m enshrine it .
S hould it be asked what degree of explicit

ness ought to prevail through this review in ,
reference t o those particulars o n w hich c on

science ha S fixed the mo st condemning mark ;
I answer that if a man writes it exclusively for
,
his own use he ought to signify the quality and

,
measure O f the delinquency so far explicitly as

, ,
to sec u re to his mind a defined recollection of

the verdict pronounced by conscience before its
emotions were quelled by time ; and so far as ,
in default o f an adequate sentence t hen to con ,
strai n hi m to pronounce it n ow S uc h honest

.
distinctness is nec essary because this will be

,
the most useful part o f his record for reflection

to dwell upon ; because this is the part which
self love is most willing to diminish and memory
-
to dismiss ; because mere general terms o r

allusions o f censure will but little aid the culti
vation O f his humility ; and because this license
of saying so much about himself in the character

of a biographer may become only a temptation
to the indulgen c e of vanity and a protection ,
from the S hame O f it unless he can maintain

,
the feeling in earnest that it is really at a con

fe ssi on a l a severe one that he is giving his
, ,
account .
But perhap s he wishes to hold this record

Open to an intimate relation or friend ; perhap s
even thinks it might supply some inte rest and
some lessons to his children And what then ? .
Why then it is perhaps too probable that though

he could readily confess some Of his faults ,
there may have been certain states of his mind ,
and certain circumstances in his conduct which ,
he cannot persuade himself to present to such

inspection S uch a difficulty of being quite i n
.
g en u ou s ,
when it is actually guilt and not ,
merely some propriety of discretion or good

taste that creates it is in every instance a caus e
, ,
for deep regret S hould not a m a n tremble t o

.
feel himself not daring to confide to an equal

and a mortal what has been all observed by the
,
S upreme Witness and Judge ? And the c o n

S ideratio n o f the large proportion o f men con
sti t u ti n g such instances throws a melancholy
,
hue over the general human character It ha s .
se v eral times in writing this essay occurred t o

, ,
me what strangers men may be to one another ,
whether as to the influences which have deter

mined their characters O r as to the less Obvious
,
’
parts o f their conduct What strangers too we .
may be with persons who have the art of con

,
me n t to the principles which are at this

c ea l ,
moment prevailing in the heart E ach mind .
has an interior apartment O f its own into which ,
none but itself and the D ivinity can enter In .
this secluded place the passions mingle and

,
fluctuate in unkno wn agitations Here all the .
fantastic and all the tragic shapes of imaginatio n

have a haunt where they can neither be invaded
,
nor descried Here the surrounding human

.
beings while quite insensible o f it are made

, ,
the subj ects Of deliberate thought and many of ,
the designs respecting them revolved in S ilence .
Here proj ects convictions vows are confusedly

, , ,
scattered and the records o f past li fe are laid

, .
Here in solitary state sits C onscience surrounded ,
by her o w n thunders which sometimes sleep , ,
and sometimes roar while the world does not ,
know The secrets o f this apartment could

.
,
they have been even but very partially brought

forth might have been fatal to that eulogy and
,
splendour wi t h which many a piece o f biography

has been exhibited by a partial and ignorant
’
friend If in a man s o wn account o f himself
.
, ,
written o n the supposition o f being seen by any

other person th e substance o f the secrets o f this
,
apartment be brought forth he throws Open the ,
last asylum o f his character where it is well if ,
t here be nothing found that will distress and
irritate hi s mo st partial friend who may thus ,

become the ally O f his conscience to c ondemn ,
without the leniency which even conscience

acquires from self love -
And if it be not
.
brought forth where is the integrity o r val u e

,
o f the history supposing it pretend to afford a

,
full and faithful estimate ; and what ingenuous

man could bear to give a delusive assurance o f
his being or having been so much more worthy
, ,
of applause or affection than conscience all the

while pronoun c es ? It is Obvious the n that a
man whose sen tim ents and designs or the u n ,
disclosed parts o f whose conduct have been ,
deeply criminal must keep his record sacred to

,
himself ; unless he feels such an uns u pportable

longing to relieve his heart by c on fidi n g its
painful consciousness that he can be content
,
to hold the regard o f his friend on the strength —
o f his penitence and recovered virtue As to .
those whose memory of the past is sullied by

,
S hades if not by stain s they must either in the

,
same manner retain the delineation fo r solitary

use or limi t themselves in writing it to a de
, ,
liberate and strong expression of the mea sur e of

conscious culpabilities and their e ffect in the
,
general character with a certain not deceptive

, ,
but partially reserved explanation that S hall ,
equally avoid particulari t y and mystery ; or else

they must consent to meet their friends who ,
S hare t he human fra ilty and have had their

deviations on terms of mutual ingenuous a c
,
kn o w le dg m e n t
. In this confidential communi
G
’
82 ON A MAN S W R I T I N G
’
cation each will learn to behold the other s
,
transgressions fully as much in that light in

which they certainly are infelicities to b e com
m i ser a t e d as i n that in which they are also
,
faults or vices to be condemned ; while both

earnestly endeavour to improve by their remem
bered errors .
But I S hall find myself in danger of becoming ’
ridiculous amidst these scruples about an entire

,
ingenuousness to a confidential friend or two ,
while I glance into the literary world and ,
Observe the n umber of historians o f their own

lives who magnanimously thro w the co mplete
,
cargo both of their vanities and their vices

, ,
before the whole p u blic M en who can gaily .
laugh at themselves for ever having even pre

tended to goodness ; who c a n tell of having
sought consolation for the sorrows o f bereaved
tenderness in the recesses o f debauchery ;
,
whose language betrays that they deem a

S pirited course o f pr o fli ga t e advent u res a muc h
'
finer thing than the stupidity of vulgar virtues ,
and who seem to claim the sentiments with

which we regard an unfortunate hero for the ,
disasters into which these adventures led them ;

venal partisans whose talents would hardly have
been bought if their venom had n o t made up
,
the deficiency ; profane travelling coxcombs

players and the makers o f immoral plays all
,
—
can narrate the course o f a contaminated life

with the most ingenuous hardihood E ven .
M E MOI RS OF HIM S E L F .
courtezans grieved a t the excess o f modesty

,
with which the age is afflicted have endeavoured ,
to diminish the evil by presenting themselves

,
before the public in thei r narratives in a man ,
ner very analogous to that in whic h the L ady

G odiva is said to have consented from a most ,
generous inducement to pass through the city

,
o f C oventry They c a n gravely relate perhaps

.
,
with intermingled paragraphs and Verses of

plaintive sensibility ( a kind of weed sin which
,
sentiment without principle apes and mocks

mourning virtue ) the whole nauseous detail of
,
their transitions from proprietor to proprietor .
“
They can tell O f the precautions fo r meeting
”
some illustrious personage accomplished in ,
depravity even in his early youth with the ,
proper adjustment of time and c i r c u mSt a n c e s to

save hi m the scandal of such a meeting ; the
hour when they crossed the river In a boat ; the
arrangements abou t money ; the kindness of
”
the personage at on e time his contemptuous ,
neglect at another ; and every thing else that

can turn the compassion with which we deplore
their first misfortunes and errors into detesta ,
tion of the e ffrontery which can take to itself

a merit in proclaiming the commencement sequel ,
and all to the wide world

, .
With regard to all the classes o f self descri -
b er S who thus think the publication of their

vices necessary to crown their fame o n e Should ,
wish there were some publ i c special mark a n d

G 2
’
84 ON A MA N S W R ITIN G
brand o f emphatic reprobation to reward this ,
tribute t o public morals M en that court the .
pillory for the pleasure o f it ought to receive ,
the honour o f it too in all those contumelious

,
salutations which suit the merits of vice grown

pro u d o f its impudence They who glory
”
.
pers onages ,
“
in their S hame Shou ld like other distinguished
,
pay a tax fo r being eminent .
Yet I o w n the public itself is to be consulted

in thi s case ; for if the public welcomes such
productions it S hows there are readers w ho feel
,
themselves a kin to the writers and it wo uld be

-
,
hard to deprive congenial souls of t he luxury of

their appropriate sympathies If such is the .
ta ste it proves that a considerable portion of

,
the public deserves just that kind o f respect for

its virtue which is very significantly implied in
,
t his confidence o f its favour .
O ne is indignant at the cant pretence and

title o f C onfessions sometimes ado pted by these
,
exhibiters of their o wn disgrace ; a s if it were

t o be believed that penitence and humiliation
,
would ever excite men t o call thousands to

witness a n eedless disclosure o f what oppresses
the m with grief and sha me If they would be .
mortified that only a few readers S hould think

it worth while t o see them thus performing the
work o f self degradation like the fetid heroes
-
,
Of the D unciad in a ditch would it be because ,
they are desi rous that the greatest possible

number should have the benefit o f being averted
from vice through disg ust and contempt o f the m

as its example N 0 this title o f C onfessions is
,
only a nominal deference to morality necessary ,
indeed to be paid because mankind never forget

,
to insist that the n a me O f virtue S hall be r e

,
s e c t ed
p , even while vice Obtains from them
that practical favour on which these writers
place their reliance for toleration or applause .
This S light homage being duly ren dered and

'
occasionally repeated the y trust in the character

,
Of the community that they S hall not meet the

kind o f condemnation and they have no desire
,
for the kind of pity which would strictly b e

,
long to c r Imm a ls ; nor is it any part o r e ffect

of their penitence to wish that society may be
,
m ade better by seeing in them how odious are

folly and vice They are glad the age continues
.
such that even t hey may have claims to be

,
prai sed ; and honour of some kin d and from ,
some quarter is the obj ect to which they aspire

, ,
and the co n sequence which they promise them

selves L et them once b e convinced that they
.
,
make such exhibitions under the absolute condi

tion of subj ecting themselves irredeemably to O p
r o b r i u m as in M iletus the persons infected with
p ,
a rage for destroying themselves were by a solemn

decree assured o f being exposed in naked i gn o
miny after the perpetration of the deed and —
these literary suicides will be heard Of no more .
R ousseau has given a memorable example O f

this voluntary h umiliation And he has v ery
.
’
86 ON A MA S W R ITIN G
N
honestly assigned the degree o f contrition which

accompanied the self i n fli c t e d penance in the -
,
declaration that this document with all its

dishonours S hall be presented in his justification
,
before the E ter n al Judge If we co u ld in any .

,
case pardon the kind of ingenuousness which he

,
has displayed it would certainly be in the di s ,
closure O f a mind so wonderfully singular as

his *
.We are al m ost willing to have such a
h ere i in deed o n e ca s e in which this kin d of hon e s t y
T s
would b e so sign ally us eful t o m a nkin d tha t i t woul d de s e rve ,
a lmo t t o b e c a noni e d in t o a virt u e

s I f s t a t e sm en inclu ding
z .
,
'
mona rchs cour ti ers minis t e rs s en a t or s popul a r l ea ders

, , , , ,
a mb a ss a dors &c
t riumph of vir t u e t o t he
woul d publi h b e fore the y go i the
, .
”
,
“
l a s t a u di t o l e a ve t o b e pub
,
s ,
, r
n
lishe d a ft e r t he y a r e gon e ea ch fra nk e xposit ion of , a
mo t ive s in t rigu e s c ab als a n d m a noeuvr e s the worship

, , , ,
whi ch m a nkin d ha v e r en de r ed t o powe r a n d r a nk would

c a s e t o b e wha t i t ha s a lw a ys b e en a m ere blind s p er sti
e , , u
ti o n , whe uch r a t ion a l groun ds shoul d com e t o b e shown

n s
f r t he h om a g e
o I t might c n t ribu t e t o a ha ppy e xorcis m o f
. o
t ha t s p iri t which h s v e r u ff r e d a t ions t o b a t p e a c e ;

a n e s e n e
whil e i t woul d give an a l t r e d a d l e delusive ch a ra c t e r t o e n ss
his t ory G r a t e rvic in t his w a y b u t un for t un a t e ly l a t e

. e s e , ,
is i the co rs e of b eing r n de re d in ou r tim e s by t he

n u e ,
public a t ion o f priva t m e moirs wri t t en by p e rsons conn e c t e d

e ,
or a cqu a in t ed wi th th s e O f t he highe s t or de r L et a n y o n e
o .
look a t the x hibi t ion of t he v ery c n t re o f t he digni t y d

e e an
’
pow r O f a gr e a t n a t ion a s giv n in P epys M moirs
e , e s e ,
t h ough wi t h t he omission in t ha t public a t ion a s I a m i n ,
form d on the b e s t a u t hori t y

e f sun dry p ss a g e s con t a in e d , o a
in the m a nuscrip t of such a col ur t ha t t heir pro duc tion

, o
woul d ha ve e x c e e ded the v e ry ut m s t lic ens e a llowa bl e by o
public de corum I n e e d n o t r e ve r t t o works now com

.
’
p a r a t i ly venci e n t asuch a s L or d M el b ou rn s Di a ry
,
.
M EM OI RS OF H I MS E L F . 87
being preserved to a ll the unsightly minuti ae

and anomalies o f its form to be placed as an, ,
unique in the moral museum of the world .
’
R ousseau s impious reference to the D ivine
Judge leads me to suggest as I conclude the
, , ,
’
consideration that the history O f each man s
,
life though it S hould not be written by him

,
self o r by any mortal hand is thus far unerringly

,
recorded will one day b e finished in truth an d

, ,
one other day yet to come will be brought to ,
a final estimate A mind accustomed to grave

.
reflections is sometimes led invol u ntarily into a

curio sity of awful con j ecture which asks What , ,
are those words which I should read this night ,
if as to Belshazzar a hand of prophetic S hade

, ,
were sent to write before me the identical

expression or the momentous impor t of the
, ,
sentence in which that final estimate will b e

declar ed ?
E S SAY II .
O N DEC ISION OF C H A R A C T ER .
LE TTER 1 .
MY D EA R F R IE N D ,
WE have several times talked of this bold

quality and acknowledged its great importance
, .
Without it a human being with powers at

, ,
best but feeble and surrounded by innumerable

things tending to perplex to divert and to , ,
frustrate their operations is indeed a pitiable

, ,
atom the sport of diverse and casual impulses

, .
It is a poor and disgraceful thing not to be able ,
to reply with some degree O f certainty to the

, ,
simple questions What will yo u be What will

,
you do
A little acquaintance with mankind will sup
ply numberless illustrations O f the importance
Of this q ualification You will Often see a
.
person an x iously hesitating a long time between

different o r Opposite determinations though i m
, ,
patient O f the pai n o f suc h a state and ashamed ,
of the debility A faint impulse of preference

.
alter nates toward the one a n d to ward the ,

90 ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R .
other ; and the mind while thus held in a ,
trembling balance is vexed that it cannot get

,
some new thought o r feeling o r motive ; that

, ,
it has not more sense more resolution more , ,
o f any thing that would save it from envying
even the decisive instinct o f br u tes It wishes .
that any circumstance might happen o r any ,
person might appear that could deliver it from

,
the miserable suspense .
In many instances when a determination i s

,
adopted it is frustrated by this temperament

, .
A man fo r example resolves o n a j ourney

, ,
to morrow which he is not under an absolut e

-
,
necessity to undertake but the inducements ,
appear this evening S O strong that he does not

, , ,
think it possible he can hesitate in the morning .
In the morning however these inducements

, ,
have unaccountably lost much O f their force .
L ike the sun that 1 S rising at the same ti me ,
they appear dim through a mist ; and the sky

lowers or he fancies that it does and almost
, ,
wishes to see darker clouds than there actually

are ; recollections of toils and fatigues ill repaid
in past expedition s rise and pass into anticipa
tion ; and he lingers uncertain till an advanced
, ,
hour determines the question for him by the ,
certainty that it is now t o o late to go .
P erhaps a man has conclusive reas o ns for

wishing to remove to another place of residence .
But when he is going t o take the first actual

step towards executing his purpose he is met ,
ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R . 91
by a new train of ideas presenting the possible , ,
and magnifying the unquestionable di sa dv a n ,
tages and uncertainties of a new situation ;

awakening the natural reluctance to quit a
place to which habit has accommodated his
feelings and which has grown w a r m to him if
, ,
I may so express it by his havi ng been in it SO

,
»
long ; giving a new impulse to hi s affection for

the friends whom he must leave ; and S O
detaining him still lingering long after his ,
judgment may have dictated to him to be

gone .
A man may think o f some desirable alteration

in his plan o f life ; perhaps in the arrangements
of his family or in the mode o f his intercourse
,
with society Would it be a good thing ? He

—
,
thinks it would be a good thing It Certainly .
would be a very good thing He wishes it were .
done He will attempt it a lmost immediately

. .
The following day he doubts whether it would

,
be quite prudent M any things are to be c o n

.
side r e d . M ay there not be I n the change some

evil o f which he is n o t aware ? IS this a
proper time ? What will people sa y And —
thus though he does not formally renounce his

,
purp ose he S hrinks out o f it with an irksome

, ,
wish that he could be fully satisfied o f the pro

ri e t o f renouncing it P erhaps he wi shes that
p y .
the thought had never occurred t o him since it ,
has diminished his self complacency without -

,
promoting his vir tue But next week his ,

conviction o f t he wisdom and advantage Of such

a reform comes again with great force Then .
,
I s it SO practicable as I was at first willing to

imagine ?
Why not ? O ther men have done
much greater things ; a resolute mind may
brave and accomplish every thing ; diffic u l t y is
“a stimulus and a triumph to a strong spirit ;

the j oys o f conquest are the j oys o f man ” .
’
What need I care for people s opinion ? It Shall
be don e He makes the first attempt B u t
— .
so me unexpected Obstacle presents itself ; he

feels the awkwardness o f attempting an unac
customed manner o f acting ; the questions or
the ridicule o f his friends disconcert him ; his
ardour abates and expires He again begins to
.
question whether it be wise whether it be

, ,
necessary w hether it be possible ; and at last

,
surrenders his purpose to be perh aps resumed

when the same feelings return a nd to be in the ,
0
same manner again relinquished ) .
While animated by some magnanimous se n

t i m en t s which he has heard o r read o r while ,
musing o n some great example a man may ,
conceive the design and partly Sketch the plan

, ,
Of a generous enterprise ; and his imagination

revels i n the felicity to others and himself that
, ,
would follo w from i t s accomplishment The .
S plendid representation always centres in him ~
self a s the hero w ho is t o realize it .
In a moment o f remitted excitement a faint ,
whisper from withi n may doubt fully a sk IS this ,

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T ER . 93
more than a dream ; or am I really destined to

achieve such an enterprise ? D estined ! and -
w hy are not this convic t ion o fits e xcellence this ,
conscious duty of performing the noblest thi ngs

that are possible and this passionate ardour
, ,
enough to constitute a destiny He feels i n di g —
nant that there S hould be a failing part of his

n ature to defraud the nobler and cast him belo w ,
the ideal model and the actual examples which

he is admiring ; and this feeling assis ts hi m to
resolve that he will undertake this enterprise
, ,
th at he certainly will though the Alps or the

,
O cean lie between him and the Obj ect Agai n .
his ardour slackens ; distrustful o f himself he ,
wishes to kn ow how the design would appear to

other minds ; and when he speaks of it to his
—
associates o n e o f them wonders ano t h er laughs

, , ,
and another frowns His pride while with

.
,
them attempts a manful defence ; but his re

,
solution gradually crumbles down toward their

level ; he becomes in a little while ashamed to
entertain a visionary proj ect which therefore , ,
like a rej ected friend desists from intruding o n

,
him o r following him except at lingering di s

,
tance ; and he subsides at last into what he , ,
labo u rs to believe a man too rational for the

schemes o f ill calculating enthusiasm And it
-
.
were strange if the e ffort to make o u t this

favou rable estimate of himself did not succeed ,
while it is so much more pleasant to attribute

’
one s defect o f enterprise t o wisdom which o n ,
maturer thought disapproves it than to imbe ,
i t y which shrinks fro m it

c il , .
A person o f undecisive character wonders

how all the embarrassments in the world
happened to meet exactly in hi s way to place ,
him j ust in that one situation fo r which he is

peculiarly unadapted but in which he is also
,
willing to think n o other man could have acted

with facility o r confidence Incapable O f setting
.
up a firm purpose o n the basis of things as they

are he is Often employed in Vain speculations
,
on some different supposable state of things ,
which would hav e saved him from all this per

p lex i t
y and irresol u tion He thinks
. W hat a
determined course he could have pursued if his ,
talents his health his age had been di fferent ;

, , ,
if he had been acquainted with some one

person sooner ; if his friends were in this or the ,
other point di fferent from what they are ; o r

,
if fortune had showered her favo u rs o n him .
And he gives himself as much license to com

plain as i f all these advantages had been among
,
the rights o f his nativity but refused by a , ,
malign ant o r capricious fate to his life Thus , .
—
he is occupied inst ead o f marking with a
vigilant eye and seizing with a strong hand all
, ,
the possibilities o f his actual situation .
A man without decision can never be said to

belong to himself ; since if he dared to assert
,
that he did the puny force o f some cause about

, ,
as powerful yo u would have supposed; a s a

,
ON D E C I S I ON OF C HA R A C TE R . 95
S pider ma y make a seizure of the hapless boaster

,
the very next moment and contemptuously ex ,
bibit the fu tility o f the determinations by which

he was to have proved the independence of his
understanding and his will He belongs to what .
ever can make capture of him ; and one thing

after another vindicates i t s right to him by ,
arresting him while he is trying to go on ; as

twigs and chips floating near the edge O f a ,
river are intercepted by every weed and

, ,
whirled i n every little eddy Having concluded .
on a design he may pledge himself to a c c o m

,
li sh i t
gf f
'
p
—
, the hundred diversities O feeling
which may come within the week will let him , .
His character precl u ding all foresight of his

conduct he may si t and wonder what form
,
and direction his views and actions are destined

to take to morrow ; as a farmer has oft en to
-
’
acknowledge that next day s proceedings are
a t the disposal of i t s winds and clouds .
’
This man s notions and deter minations alway s
depend Very m uch o n other human beings ;
and wha t chance for consistency and stability ,
while the persons with whom he may converse ,
or transact are so various , This very evening ,
he may talk with a man whose sentiments will

melt away the present form and outline o f his
purposes however firm and defined he may
,
have fancied them to be A succession of .
persons whose faculties were stronger than his

own might in spite o f his irresolute r e action
, ,
-
,
take him and dispose o f him as they pleased .
S uch infirmity o f spirit practically confesses

him made fo r subj ection and he passes like a , ,
slave from owner to owner S ometimes i n

,
.
deed i t happens that a person so constituted

,
falls into the train and under the permanent

,
ascendency o f so m e o n e stronger mind which

, ,
thus becomes through life the oracle and guide ,
and gives the inferior a steady will and plan .
This when the governing spirit is wi se and

,
virtuous is a fort u nate relief to the feeling

, ,
an d an advantage gained to the utility ,
o f the subordinate and as it were appended

, ,
mind .
’
The regulation O f every man s plan must
gre a tly depend o n the course of events which ,
come in an order n o t to be foreseen or prevent

ed Bu t in accommodating the plans o f conduct
.
to the train o f events the difference between,
two men may be no less th an that in the o n e ,
instance the man is subservient to the events

, ,
and in the other the events are m ade sub

,
servient to the man S ome m en seem to have

.
been taken along by a succe ssion o f events ,
and a s it were handed forward in helpless

, ,
passiveness from one t o another ; having no

determined principle in their o wn characters ,
by which they could constrain those events to

serve a design formed antecedently to them ,
o r apparently in defiance o f them The events .
seized them a s a n eutral material n o t they ,

ON D E C I S IO N OF C HA R A C T ER . 97
the ev ents O thers

. advancing through life
,
wi t h an internal invincible determination have ,
seemed to make t he train O f circumstances ,
whatever they were conduce as much to their

,
chief design as if they had by some directing ,
interposition been brought about on purpose

,
.
It is wonderful how even the casualties o f life

seem to bow to a spirit that will n o t bow to
them and yield to subserve a design which
,
they may in their first apparent t endency

, ,
threaten to frustrate .
Y o u may have kno wn such examples though ,
they are comparatively n o t numerous You .
may have seen a man O f this vigorous character

in a state of indecision concerning some a ffair
in which it was necessary for him to determine ,
because it w a s necessary for hi m to a c t But .
in this case his manner would assure you

,
that he would not remain long undecided ; yo u

would wonder if yo u found him still balancing
and hesitating the next day If he expla ined .
his thoughts yo u woul d perceive that their

,
clear process evidently at each e ffort gaining

,
something toward the result must certainly ,
reach it ere long The deliberation of such

.
a min d is a very different thing from the

fluctuation O f o n e whose second thinking only
upsets the first and whose third confounds
,
both To [mow b ow to Obtain a determination

.
,
is one of the first requisites and indications

of a rationally decisive character .
H
ON DE C IS I O N OF CHARACT E R .
When the decision w a s arrived at and a ,
plan Of action approved yo u would feel an,
assurance that something would absolutely be

done It i s characteristic o f such a mind to
.
,
think fo r e ffect ; and the pleasure O f escaping

from temporary doubt gives an additional i m
pulse to the force with which it is carried
into action T he man will not r e examine his
.
-
conclusions with endless repetition and he ,

.
will n o t be delayed long by consulting other

persons after he had ceased to consult himself
,
.
He cannot bea r to si t still among unexecuted

decisions and unattempted proj ects We wait .
to hear o f his achievements and are confident ,
w e shall n o t wait long The possibility or the

.
means m a y n o t be obvious to us but we know ,
that every thing will be attempted and that ,
a spiri t o f such determined will is like a ri ver ,
which in whatever manner it is obstructed

, ,
will make i t s w a y so mewhere It must have .
cost C aesar many anxious hours o f deliberation ,
before he decided to pass the Rubicon ; but

it is probable he su ffered but fe w t o elapse
between the decision and the execution And .
any o n e o f his friends w ho should have been

,
apprised o f his determination and understood ,
hi s character would have smiled contemp

,
t u o u sl
y to hear it insinuated that though C aesar
had resolved C msa r would n o t dare ; or that

,
though he might cross the Rubicon whose ,
opposite bank p r esented to him no hostile

ON DE C I SIO N OF CHARACT E R . 99
legions he might come to other rivers which

, ,
he would not cross ; o r that either rivers or ,
any other Obstacle would deter hi m fro m pro

,
se c u t i n g his determination from this ominous
commencement to its very last consequence .
O ne signal advantage possessed by a mind

of this character is that its passions are not
,
wasted . The whole measure O f passion Of

which any one with important tra nsactions
,
before him is capable is not more than enough

, ,
to supply interest and energy for the required

practical exertions ; and therefore as little as
possible of this costly flame should be ex
pended i n a way that does not augment the
force of action But nothing can less con
.
tribute O r be more destructive to v igour of

action than protracted anxious fluctuation
, ,
through resolutions adopted rej ected resumed , , ,
suspended ; while yet n othing causes a greater

expense o f feeling The heart is fretted and
.
exhausted by being subj ected to an alternation

Of contrary excitements with the ultimate ,
mortifying consciousness o f their contributing

to no end The long wavering deliberation
.
-
,
whether to perform some bold action O f difficult

virtue has often cost more to feeling than the
,
-
actio n itself or a series of such actions would

, ,
h a ve cost ; with the great disadvantage too of

n o t being relieved by any of that invigora tion
which the man in action finds in the activi t y

itself that spirit created to renovate the energy
,
H 2
1 00 ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R .
which the action is expending When the .
passions are n o t consumed a m ong dubious

musings and abortive resolutions their utmost ,
value and use can be secured by throwing all

their animating force into e ffective Operation .
Another advantage o f this character is that , ,
i t exempts from a great deal o f interference

and Obstructive ann oyance which an irresolute ,
man may be almost sure to encounter Weak .
ness in every form tempts arrogance ; and a

, ,
man may be allowed to wish for a kind o f

C haracter with which stupidity and impertinence
may not make so free When a firm decisive .
spirit is recogn ised it is c u rio u s to se e how

,
th e space clears around a man and lea v e s him ,
room and freedom The di sposition to i n

.
t e r r o ga t e dictate
, o r banter
, preserves a r e ,
s e c t fu l and politic distance judging it n ot

p ,
unwi se t o keep the peace with a person o f

so much energy A conviction that he u n
.
de r st a n ds and t hat he wills with extraordinary

force silences the conceit that intended to
,
perplex o r instruct hi m and intimidates the ,
malice that w a s disposed to attack him There .
is a feeling a s in respect t o F ate that the

, ,
decrees of so inflexible a S pirit mu st be right ,
o r that at least they w i l

, ,
lbe accomplished .
But n o t only will b e secure the freedom

o f acting fo r himself he will Obtain also by
,
degrees the coincidence o f those in whose

company he i s t o transact the business o f
ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R . 1 01
life If the m anners of such a man be free

.
from arrogance and he can qualify his fir m

,
ness wi th a moderate degree Of insinuation ;

and if his measures have partly lost the a p
p e ar a n c e Of bei n g the dictates of his will ,
under the wider and softer sanction o f some

experience that they are reasonable ; both
competition and fear will be laid to sleep
-
and his will may acquire an unre sisted as

c en den c y over many w ho will be pleased to
fall into the mechanism of a system which ,
they find makes them more successful and

happy than they could have been amidst the -
anxiety O f adjusting plans and expedients of

their o w n and the consequences of oft en a d
,
justing them ill I have known several parents

.
—
,
both fathers and mothers whose management ,
o f their families has answered this description ;
and has displayed a striking example o f the

facile complacency with which a number of
persons of different ages and dlsp o si t i o n s will
, ,
yield to the decision s o f a firm mind acting ,
o n an equitable and enlightened system .
The last res o urce of this character,is hard ,
inflexible pertinacity on which it may be

,
allowed to rest its strength after finding it

can be e ffectual in none of its milder forms .
I remember admiring an i n stance o f this kin d ,
in a firm sagacious and estimable o ld man

, ,
whom I well knew and w ho has long been

,
dead Bei n g on a jury in a trial o f life a n d

.
,
1 02 ON D EC I S ION OF C HA R A C T ER .
death he was satisfied o f the i n nocence of

,
the prisoner ; t he other eleven were O f the

opposite opi n ion But he w a s resolved the
.
man should not be condemned ; and a s the

first e ffort for preventing it very properly ,
made application to the mi n ds O f his asso

ciates spending several hours in labouring
,
to convince them But he found he made

.
n o impression while he was exhausting the

,
strength which it was necessary to reserve for

another mode Of operation He then calmly .
told them that it should now be a trial who

could endure confinement and famine the
longest and that they might be quite assured
,
he would sooner die than release them at the

’
expense of the prisoner s life In this situation .
they spent about twenty four hours ; when -
at length all acceded to his verdict of a c

quittal .
It is not necessary to amplify o n the i n

dispensable importance O f this quality in order ,
to the accomplishment of any thing eminently

good We instantly se e that every path to
.
,
signal e x cellence i s so obstructed and beset ,
that none but a spirit so qualified can pass .
B u t it is ti me to examine wha t are t he ele

ments o f that mental constitution which is
displayed in t he character in question .
P E R H A PS the best mode would be to bring ,
into our thoughts in succession the most r e

, ,
markable examples of this character that w e

have known in real life or that we have read
,
of in history or even in fiction ; and atten

t i v el y to Observe ,in their conversations man ,
ners and actions what principles appear to

, ,
produce or to constitute this commanding dis

, ,
tinction You will easily pursue this in vestiga

.
tion yourself I lately made a partial attempt

.
,
and shall O ffer you a number Of suggestions .
As a previous Observation i t is beyond all ,
doubt that very much depends on the con

st i t u t i o n o f the body It would be for phy
.
si o l o i st s to explain if it were explicable the

g , ,
ma n n er in which corporeal organization a ffects

the mind ; I only assume it as a fact that ,
there i s in the material construction o f some

persons much more than of others some
, ,
quality which aug m ents if it do not create

, ,
b oth the stability o f their resolution and the ,
energy of their active tendencies There is .
something that like the ligatures which o n e

,
class of the O lympic combatants bound o n

their hands and wrists braces round if I may , ,
so describe it and compresses the powers o f

,
the mind giving them a steady forcible spring

,
and r e action w hi c h t hey would presently lose

-
,
'
if t hey co u ld be transferred into a con stitution

.
of soft yielding treacherous debility The

, ,
.
action of strong character seems to demand

something firm i n its material basis as mas ,
sive engines require for their weight and fo r

,
their working to be fixed o n a solid fo u n da

,
tion Accordingly I believe it would be found

.
,
that a maj ority of the persons most remark

able for decisive character have possessed great ,
constitutional physical firmness I do not mean .
an exemption from disease and pain n o r any ,
certain measure Of mechanical strength b ut ,
a tone of vigour the Opposite to lassitude and

, ,
adapted to great exertion and end u rance This .
is clearly evinced in r esp ect to many o f them ,
by the prodigious labours and deprivations

which they have borne in prosecuting their
designs The physical nature has seemed a
.
proud ally of the moral o n e and with a hard ,
ness that would never S hrink has sustained ,
the energy that could n ever remit .
A View o f the disparities bet w een t he dif

fe r e n t races of animals inferior to m a n will ,
S how the effect o f organization o n disposition .
C ompare for instance a lion with the com

, ,
m o n beasts Of our fields many o f the m large r ,
in bulk o f animated substance What a v a st .

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T ER . 1 05
superiority o f courage and impetuous and de

,
t er m i n e d action ; which difference w e attribute

to some great dissimilarity O f modification in
the composition o f the animated material No w .
it is probable that a di fference somewhat analo

gous subsists between s ome h u man beings
and others in point o f what we may call mere
physical constitutio n ; and that this i s no small
part o f the cause Of the st ri kIn g In equalities
in respect to decisive character A man who .
excels in the power of decision has probably

more o f the physical quality of a lion in his com
position than other men .
It is observable that women in general have

less inflexibility Of character than men ; and
though many moral influences contribu te to this
di fference the principal cause may probably
,
be something less firm in the corporeal c o n

st i t u t i on
. No w that physical quality whatever ,
it i s from the smaller m easure o f which in the

,
constitution O f the frame women have less ,
firmness than men may be possessed by one

,
man more than by m en in general in a greater

degree Of di fference than that by which men in
general exceed women .
If there have been found some resolute

spirits powerfully asserting themselves in feeble
vehicles it i s so much the better ; since this
,
would authorize a hope that if all the other

,
grand requisites can be combined they may ,
form a strong character in spite of an u n ,

1 06 ON D E C I S I ON OF C HA RA C T E R .
adapted c o n si t u t i o n And on the other hand

.
,
no constitutional hardness wi ll form the true

character without those superior properties
,
though it may produce that false and con

t e mp t i b le kin d of decision which we term
o bst i n a c a stubbornness of temper which
y ; ,
can assign no reason s but mere will fo r a ,
constancy which acts in the nature o f dead

weight rather than of strength ; resembling
less the reaction o f a powerfu l spring than the
gravitation O f a big stone .
The first prominent mental characteristic of

the person whom I describe is a complete , ,
confidence in his o wn judgment It will per .
haps be said that this is not so uncommon

,
a qualification I however think it is u n c o m

.
mon It is indeed obvious enough that almost

.
,
all men have a flattering estimate of their own

understanding and that as long as this u n
,
der st a n di n g has no h arder task than to form

opinions which are n o t to be tried in action ,
they have a most self complacent assurance of-
being righ t . This assurance extends to the

judg ments which they pass on the proceedings
o f others . But let them be brought into the
necessity of adop t ing actual measures in an
untried situation where unassisted by any pre
, ,
v i o u s example o r practice they are reduced ,
to depend o n the bare resources Of judgment

alone and you will se e in many cases this
, ,
c onfidence o f opinion vanish away The mind .

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R . 1 07
seems all at once placed i n a misty vacuity .

,
where it reaches round o n all sides but can ,
find nothing to take hold O f O r if not lost .
in vacuity it is overwhel med in confusion ; and

,
feels as if its faculties were annihilated in the

attempt to think o f schemes and calculations
among the possibilities chances and hazards , , ,
which overspread a wide untrodden field ; and

this conscious imbecility becomes severe dis
tress when i t i s believed that consequences
,
’
,
O f serious or unknown good or evil are de ,
pending o n the decisions which are t o be

formed amidst so much uncertainty The .
thought painfully recurs at each step and turn ,
I may by chance be right but it is fully as ,
probable I am wrong It is like the case of .
a rustic walking in L ondon who having no , ,
certain direction through the vast confusion O f

streets to the place where he wishes to be ,
advances and hesitates and turns and inquires

, , ,
‘
and becomes at each corner still more i n ex

, ,
tr i c a b l
y perplexed *
A man in this situation
.
feels he shall be very unfortunate if he cannot

accomplish more than he can understan d Is not
—
this frequently when brought to the practical

,
“ Why do e s n ot t he m an c ll h ckn y co ch ?
a a a
” g e -
a a a
y
rea der I a m a war e will say O f the p er son so b e ma z ed in the
, ,
gr e a t t own .S O he might c er t a inly ;

, ( t h a t is if he know ,
wh e re t o fin d o n e a n d t he ga y r ea der a d I ha ve only t o n
de plor e t h a t th r e is no p r a ll el conve ni e nc e for the a ssis ta nc e

e a
o f p e rpl x e d und r t a n ding

e e s s .
test the state of a mind n o t disposed in general

,
to undervalue its o wn judgment ?

In cases where judg m ent is n o t so completely
bewildered you will yet perceive a great pr a c
,
tical distrust o f it A m a n has perhaps a d

.
~
v a n c e d a considerable way towards a decision ,
but then lingers at a small distance from it ,
till necessity with a stronger hand tha n c on

,
v i c ti o n
,
impels him upon it He cannot see .
the whole length o f the question and suspects ,
t he part beyond his sight to be the most i m
portant for the most essential point and stress

,
Of it may be there He fears that certain

.
possible consequen ces if they S hould follow , ,
would cause him to reproach himself fo r his

present determination He wonders how this
.
o r the other person would have acted in the
same circumstances ; eagerly catches at any

thi ng like a respectable precedent ; would be
perfectly willing to forego the pride of setting
an example for the safety o f following o n e ;
,
and looks anxiously round to know what each

person may think o n the subject ; while the
various and Opposite opinions to which he
listens perhaps only serve to confound his
,
perception o f the track o f tho u ght by which

he had hoped to reach hi s conclusion E ven .
when that conclusion i s Obtaine d there are ,
n o t many minds that might n o t be brough t

a few degrees back into dub i ous hesitation ,
by a man o f respected understanding saying ,

in a confident tone Your plan is injudicious ;

,
your selection is unfortunate ; the event will

disappoint yo u .
It cannot be s u pposed that I am maintaining

’
such an absurdity as that a man s complete
reliance on his o w n j udgment is a proof O f i t s
strength and rectitude Inte n se stupidity may be
.
in this point the rival o f clear sighted wisdom-

.
I had once some knowledge o f a person who m ,
n o mortal could have surpassed not C romwell ,
or S tra fford in confidence in his o w n judgment

,
and consequent inflexibility o f conduct ; while

at the same time his successive schemes were
ill judged to a degree that made his disappoint
-
ments ridiculous still more th an pitiab l e He .
w a s not an example o f that si mp l e obstinacy
whic h I have mentioned before ; for he c o n

si de r e d his measures and did not want fo r
,
‘
r easons which seriously satisfied himself Of

their being most judici ous This confidence o f
.
opinion may be possessed by a person in who m

it will be contemptible or mischievous ; but its
proper place is in a very di fferent character and ,
W ithout it there can be n o dignified actors in

human a ffairs .
If after it is seen how foolish this confidence

,
appears as a feature in a weak character it be ,
’
inq u ired what in a rightfully decisive person s
,
manner O f thinking it is that authorizes him

,
in this firm assurance that his View o f the con

cerns before him 1 8 co mprehensive and accurate ;
1 10 ON D EC I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R .
he may in answer j ustify his confidence o n

, ,
such grounds as these ! that he is conscious

that obj ects are presented to his mind with a n
e x c ee din l di st i n c t and perspicuous aspect
’
gy ,
’
n o t like the shapes of moon light or like O ssi an s
-
,
ghosts dim form s o f uncircumscribed shade ;

,
that he sees the di fferent parts of the subj ect

in an arranged order n ot i n unconnected
,
frag ments ; that in eac h deliberation the main

obj ect keeps its clear pre eminence and he -
,
perceives the bearings which the subordinate

and cond u cive ones have o n it ; that perhaps
s everal trains O f t hought drawn fro m different
,
p oints lead him to the same conclusion ; and

,
that he finds his judgment does n o t vary in

servility to the moods of his feelings .
It may be presumed that a high degree O f this

character is n ot attained Wi t hout a considerable
measure of that kind of certainty with respect ,
to the relations Of things which c an be acquired

,
only from experience and Observation A very .
protracted course Of time however may not be

, ,
indispensable for this discipline An extreme .
vi gilance in the exercise of observation and a ,
strong and strongly exerted power of general

izing o n experience may have made a compa
,
r a t i v el
y short time e nough t o supply a large
share Of the wisdom derivable from these
sources ; so t ha t a man may long before he is
Old be rich in the benefits o f experience and ,
therefore may have all the decision o f judgment

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R . lll
legitimately founded on that accomplishment .
This knowledge from experience he will be able

to apply in a direct and immediate manner and ,
without refining it into general principles to ,
some situations of affairs so as to anticipate the

,
consequences O f certain actions in those situ

a t i o n s by as plain a reaso n and as confidently
, ,
as the kind o f fruit to be produced by a given

kind of tree . Thus far the facts of his ex
er i e n c e wi ll serve him as precedents ; cases O f
p
such near resemblance t o those in which he is
now to ac t as to afford him a rule by the most
i mmediate inference At the next step he will
.
,
be able to apply this knowledge now converted ,
into genera l principles to a multitude o f cases

,
bearing but a partial resemblance to any thing

he has actually witnessed And then in look .
,
ing forward to the possible occurrence O f alto

gether new combinations of circumstances he ,
can trust to the resources which he is persuaded

his intellect will open to him or is humbly con ,
fide n t if he be a devout man that the S uprem e

, ,
Intelligence will not suffer to be wanting t o

him when the occasion arrives In proportion
, .
as his views include at all events, more certain

,
ties than those O f other men he is with good ,
reason les s fearful o f continge n cies And if in .

,
the course of executing his design unexpected ,
dis a strous events S hould b efa l but which are ,
not owing to any thing wrong in the plan and

principles O f that design but to foreign causes ;
,
it will be characteristic O f a strong mind to

attribute these events discriminatively to their
o w n causes ,and not t o the p la n which there , ,
fore instead O f being disliked and relinquished

, ,
will be still as much approved as before and the ,
man will proceed calmly to the sequel o f it

f
without any change o arrangement — unless
indeed these S inister events should be o f such
consequence as to alter the whole state O f things
to which the plan was correctly adapted and so ,
create a necessity to form an entirely new one ,
adapted to that altered state .
Though he do not absolutely despise the

understandings of other men he will perceive ,
their dimensions as compared with his o wn ,
which will preserve its independence through

every communication and encounter It is .
however a part o f this very independence that ,
he will hold himself free to alter his Opinion if ,
th e information which may be communicated

t o him shall bring su fficient reason And as no .
o n e is so sensible of the importance of a com
p le t e acquaintance with a subject as the man
w ho is always endeavouring to think concl u
si v e l he will listen with the utmost attention

y ,
t o the i nfo r ma t i on which may sometimes be

,
received fr o m persons for whose j u dg men t he

has n o great respect The information which
.
they m a y a fford him is n o t at all the less

valuable fo r the C ircumstance that his practical
,
inferences from it may be quite different from

theirs If they will only give him an accurate

.
account of facts he does not care how i n di ffe

,
r e n t l they may reason o n them C ounsel will

y .
in general have only so much weight with him

as it supplies knowledge which may assist his
judgment ; he will yield not hing to it implicitly
a s authority except when i t comes fro m persons
,
of approved and eminent wisdom ; but he may

hear it with more candour and good temper ,
from being conscious o f this I ndependence O f

his judgme n t t han the ma n who is afraid lest
,
the first person that begins to persuade him ,
should baffle his determination He feels it .
entirely a work o f his o wn to deliberat e a n d t o

resolve amidst all the advice which may be
,
attempting to control him If with an as .

,
surance Of his int ellect being o f the highest

order he also holds a commanding station he
, ,
will feel it gratuitous to consult with a n y one ,
excepting merely to receive statements o f facts .
This appears to be exemplified in the man who ,
has lately shown the nations o f E u rope how

large a portion Of the world may when Heaven ,
permits be at the mercy of the solitary work

,
ings of an individual mind .
The stro n gest trial o f this determination o f

j udgment is in those ca ses o f urgency where
something must immediately be done and the ,
alternative Of right o r wrong is O f important

consequence ; as in the duty o f a medical
m a n treating a patient whose situation at onc e
,
I ll ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R .
requires a daring practice and puts it in painful ,
doubt what t o dare A still stronger illustration

.
i s the case o f a general w ho i s compelled in ,
the very instant t o make dispositions o n which

,
the event o f a battle the lives Of thousands o f

,
hi s men o r perhaps almost the fate o f a nation

, ,
may depend He may even be placed in a

.
dilemma which appears equally dreadful o n

both sides S uch a predicament is described in
’
De n o n s account o f o n e o f the sanguinary con
fli c t s between the F rench and M amelukes as ,
having fo r a while held in the most distressing

hesitation G eneral D esaix tho u gh a prompt ,
and intrepid commander .
LE T TER III .
T HI S indispe n sable basis confidence of o pi ,
nion is however n o t enough t o constitute the

,
character in question Fo r many persons who

.
,
have been conscious and proud o f a much

stronger grasp Of thought than or dinary men ,
and have held the most decided Opinions o n

important things t o be done have yet exhibited , ,
in the listlessness or inconstancy Of their actions ,
a contrast and a disgrace t o the operations Of

their u n derstandings Fo r want Of some cogent
.
ON D E C I S ION OF C HA RA C TE R . 1 15
feeling impelling them to carry every internal

decision into action they have been still left
,
where they were and a dignifi ed judg m ent has

been seen in the hapless plight o f having no ‘
e ffective forces to execute its decrees .
It is evident then ( and I perceive I have ,
partly anticipated this article in the first letter ) ,
that another essential principle of t he character

is a total in capability of surrendering t o i n dif
,
ference o r delay the serious determinations O f ,
the mind A strenuous w ill must accompany

.
the conclusions o f thought and co n stantly i n ,
cite the utmost e fforts to give them a practical

result The intellect must be invested if I may
.
,
so describe it with a glo wing atmosphere Of

,
passion under the influence of which the col d

, , .
dictates of reason take fire and spri ng into ,
active powers .
R evert once more in your thoughts to the

persons most remarkably distinguished by this
quality Yo u wi ll perceive that I nstead o f
.
,
al lowing themselves to S it down delighted after

the labour Of successfu l thinking as if they ,
had completed some great thing they regard ,
this labour but as a circumstance o f preparation ,
and the conclusions resulting from it as Of n o

more value ( till going into e ffect ) than the
, ,
entombed lamps o f the R osicrucians They .
are not disposed to be content in a region o f

mere ideas while they ought t o be advancing
,
into the field o f corresponding realities ; they

I 2
retire t o that regio n sometimes as ambitious ,
ad v enturers anciently went t o D elphi to con ,
sult but n o t t o reside

,
Y o u will therefore
.
find them almost uniformly in determined

pursuit Of some obj ect on which they fix a ,
keen and steady look never losing S ight Of ,
i t while they follow it through the confused

multitude O f other things .
A person actuated by such a spirit seems ,
by his manner to say DO you think that I ,
w ould not disdain to adopt a purpose w hich I

would not devote my utmost force to e ffect ;
o r that having thus devoted my exertio n s I
w ill intermit or withdraw them through i n ,
dolence debility o r caprice ; o r that I will

, ,
surrender my Obj ect to any interference ex

cept the uncontrollable dispensations Of P rovi
dence ? NO I am linked to my determination
,
with iron bands ; it clings to me a s if a part

o f my destiny ; and if it s frustration be on ,
the contrary doomed a par t Of that destiny

, ,
it is doomed S O only through calamity o r

death .
This display o f systematic energy seems

to indicate a constitution o f mind in which
the passions are commensurate with the intel
lectual part and at the same time hold an
,
inseparable correspondence with it like the ,
faithful sympathy o f the tides with the phases

o f the moon There is such an equali t y and
.
connexion that subj ects Of the decisions o f

,
judgment become proportionally and Of course

the obj ects o f passion When the judgment
.
decides with a very strong preference that ,
same stre n gth of prefere n ce actuating also ,
the passions devotes them with energy to

,
the Obj ect as long as it it thus approved ;

,
and this will pr oduce such a conduct as I

have described When therefore a firm self
.
,
c o n fidi n
, g and unaltering judgment fails to ”
m ake a decisive character it is evident either,
that the passions in that mind are too lan guid

to be capable of a strong and unremitting
excitement which defect makes an i ndolent
,
or irresolute man ; or that they perversely

sometimes coincide with j udgment and some
times clash with it which makes a n i n c on
,
sistent or versatile man .
There is no man so irresolute as not to act

with determination in many single cases where ,
the motive is powerful and simple and where ,
there is no need o f plan and perseverance ; but

this gives n o claim to the term cha r a c ter which ,
’
expresses the habitual tenour of a m an s active
being. The chara cter may be displayed in
the successive unconnected undertakings which ,
are each of limited extent and end with the ,
attainment of their particular obj ects Bu t .
it is seen in its most comman di ng aspect in

those grand schemes o f action which have ,
no necessary point of conclusion which con ,
tin n e on through successive years a n d exte n d ,

1 18 ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R .
even t o that dark period when the agent him

self i s withdrawn fro m human sight .
I have repeatedly in conversation remarked to

, ,
o u the e ffect f what has been called a R uling

y o
P assion When i t s obj ect is noble a n d an e n

.
,
lightened understanding regulates its movements ,
it appears to me a great felicity ; but whether

its Obj ect be noble or n o t it infallibly creates
, ,
where it exists i n great force that act ive ardent ,
constancy which I describe as a capital feature

“
,
o f the decisive character T he S ubj ect o f

such a com manding passion wo n ders if indeed ,
he were at leisure to wonder at the persons ,
w ho pretend to attach importance to an Obj ect
which they make n o n e b u t the most languid

‘
e fforts to secure The u tmost powers O f the

.
man are constrained into the service o f the

favourite C ause by this passion which S weeps ,
a w ay as it advances all the trivial Obj ections

, ,
and little opposing motives and seems almost ,
to open a way through impossibilities This .
spirit comes o n him in the morning as soon as

he recovers hi s consciousness and commands ,
and impels him throug h the day with a power ,
from which he could not emancipate himself

if he would When the force of habit is added
.
,
the determination becomes invincible a n d seems ,
t o assume rank with the great laws Of nature ,
making it nearly a s certain that such a man

will persist in hi s co u r se as that in the morning
the su n will rise .
A persisting untameable efficacy o f soul

gives a seductive and pernicious dignity even
t o a character which every moral principle
forbids u s t o approve O ften in the narrations

.
o f history and fiction an agent o f the most ,
dreadful designs compels a sentiment of deep

respect for the unconquerable m ind displayed
in their execution While w e shudder at his
.
activity we sa y with regret mingled wi th

, ,
an admiration which borders on partiality ,
What a noble bein g this would have been if ,
goodness had been his destiny ! The par

t i al
i t y is evinced in the very selection o f
terms by which we S how that we are tempted
,
t o refer hi s atrocity rather to his de stIn y than

to his choice I wonder whether an emotion
.
like this have n ot been experien ced by each

,
reader of P aradise L ost relative to the L eader ,
o f the infernal spirits ; a pro of if such were ,
the fact of some insinuation of evil into the

,
magnificent creation of the poet In some .
O f the high examples of ambition ( the ambition ,
which is a vice) w e almost revere the force

,
Of mind which impelled them forward through

the longest series of action superior to doubt ,
and fluctuation and disdainful o f ease of

, ,
pleasures o f Opposition an d o f danger We

, ,
.
bend in homage before the ambitious spirit

which reached the true sublime in the reply
o f P ompey to his friends who dissuaded him ,
from hazarding his life o n a tempestuous se a

i n order t o be at R ome o n an important

occasion ! It is necessary fo r me to go it ,
i s n ot necessary for me to live .
R evenge has produced wo n derful examples of

this unremitting constancy to a purpose Z anga .
is a well supported illustration And yo u may

-
.
have read o f a real instance O f a S paniard w ho , ,
being injured by another inhabitant of the same

town resolved t o destroy hi m ! the other w a s
,
apprised Of this and removed with the utmost

,
secrecy as he thought to another town at a

, ,
considerable distance where however he had

,
n o t been more than a da or two before he

y ,
found that his enemy also was there He .
removed i n the same manner to several parts of

the kingdom remote from each other ; but in
,
every place quickly perceived that his deadly

pursu er was near him At last he went to
.
S outh America where he had enj oyed his

,
security but a very S hort time before his r e ,
le n tle ss pursuer came up with him and a c c o m ,
li she d his purpose

p .
Y o u may recollect the mention in o n e Of o ur ,
conversations Of a yo u ng man w ho wasted in

,
t w o o r three years a large patrimony in p r o fli ,
gate re v els with a number o f worthless asso

ciates calling themselves his friends till his ,
last means were exhausted when t hey o f course ,
treated him with n eglect o r contempt Re .
du c e d to absolute want b e o n e day went out of

,
t he house with an intention to put an end to his

life but wandering awhile almost unconscio u sly ,
he came to the brow O f an eminence which over

looked what were lately his estates Here he .
sa t down and remained fixed in thought a

,
n umber Of hours at the end o f which he sprang

,
from the ground with a vehement exulting emo

tion He had formed his resolution which was
.
,
that all these estates S hould be his again ; he

had formed his plan t o o which b e instantly ,
began to execute He walked hastily forward

.
,
determined to seize the very first opportunity ,
o f however humble a ki nd to gain any money , ,
t hough it were ever so despicable a trifle and ,
resolved absolutely not to spend if he coul d ,
help it a farthing o f whatever he might Obtain

, .
The first thing t hat drew his attentio n was a

heap of coals shot out of carts on the pavement
before a house He o ffered himself to S hovel or
.
wheel them into the place where they were to

be laid and was employed He received a few
, .
pence for the labour ; and then in pursuance of ,
the saving part of his plan requ ested some ,
small gratuity of meat and drink which was ,
given him He then looked out fo r the next

.
thing that might chance to O ffer ; and went ,
with indefatigable industry through a succession ,
of servile employments in different places of

, ,
longer and shorter duration still scrupulously ,
avoiding as far as possible the expense O f

, ,
a penny .He promptly seized ev ery O pp o r

t un i t y which could advan ce his design without ,
1 22 ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T ER .
regarding the meanness o f occupation o r appear

ance By this method he had gained after a
.
,
considerable time money enough t o purchase , ,
in or der to sell again a few cattle o f which he , ,
had taken pains to understand the value He .
speedily but cautiously turned hi s first gains into

secon d advantages ; retained without a S ingle
deviation his extreme parsimony ; and thus a d
v a n c e d by degrees into larger transactions and
incipient wealth I did n o t hear o r have for

.
,
gotten the continued course o f his life ; but the

,
final result w a s that he more than recovered his

,
lost possessions and died an inveterate miser

, ,
worth 6 0 000l I have always recollected this

, .
as a S ignal instance though in an unfortunate ,
and ignoble direction of decisive character and , ,
Of the extraordinary efi ec t which accordin g to f
, ,
general laws belongs to the strongest form o f

,
such a character .
But not less decision ha s been displayed by

men o f virtue In thi s distinction no man ever
.
e x ceeded o r ever will exceed fo r instance the

, , ,
late illustrious Howard .
The energy o f hi s determination w a s S O great ,
t hat if instead o f being habitual it had been

, ,
-
shown only fo r a S hort time o n particular occa

sions it would have appeared a vehement i m
,
e t u o si t but by being unintermitted it had an

p y ,
equability o f m an ner which scarcely appeared to

exceed the tone Of a calm constancy it was so ,
totally the reverse Of any thing like turbulence

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R . 123
or agitation It was the calmness O f an intensity

.
kept uniform by the natu re o f the human mind

forbidding it to be more and by the character ,
o f the individual forbidding it to be less The .
habitual passion of his mind was a pitch of

excitement and impulsion almost equal to the
tem porary extremes and paroxysms O f common
minds ; as a great river in its customary state
, ,
is equal to a small o r moderate o n e whe n swollen

to a torrent .
The moment of finishing hi s plans in deli

beration and commencing them in action was
, ,
the same I wonder what must have been the

.
a mount O f that bribe In emolument or plea

,
sure that would have detaine d him a week

,
inactive aft er their final adj ust m ent The law .
which carries water down a declivity w a s not ,
more unconquerable and invariable than the

determin ation Of his feelings toward the main
Obj ect The importance of this Obj ec t held his
.
faculties in a state o f determination which was

t o o rigid to be af
fected by lighter interests and ,
o n which therefore the beauties of nature and
of art had no power He had no leisure feeling

.
which he could spare to be diverted am ong the

innumerable varieties Of the extensive scene ‘
which he traversed ; hi s subordinate feelings

n early lost their separate existence and opera
tion by falling into the grand one

,
There .
have not been wanting trivial minds to mark ,
this a s a fault in hi s character But the mere .

men o f taste ought to be silent respecting such

a man as Howard ; he is above their sphere
o f j udgment T he i n visible spirits w ho fulfil
.
,
their commission of philanthrop y among mortals ,
do not care about pictures statues and s ump , ,
t u o u s buildings ; and no m ore did he when the ,
time in which he must have inspected and

admired them would have been taken fro m
,
the work to which he had consecrated his

life The curiosity which he might feel w a s
.
,
reduced t o wait till the hour should arrive ,
when its gratification S hould be presented by

conscience (which kept a scrupulous charge O f
,
all his time ) as the du ty of that hour If he was

, .
still at every hour when it came fated to feel

, ,
the attractions o f the fine arts but the second

claim they might be sure of their revenge ;
,
fo r no other m a n will ever visit R ome under

suc h a despotic acknowledged rule of duty ,
as to refuse hi mself time for surveying the

magnificence of its ruins S uch a si n against .
taste is very far beyond t he reach of com

m o n saintship to commit It implied an i n
.
conceiva ble severity o f conviction that he ,
had o n e t hin g t o do and that he who would do

,
some great t hing in this S hort life must a p ,
ply himself t o the work with such a con

centration Of his forces as to idle spectators
, ,
who live onl y t o amuse the mselves looks like ,
insanity .
His attention w a s S O strongly and tenaciously

fixed on his Obj ect that even at the greatest

,
distance as the E gyptian pyramids to travel

,
lers it appeared t o him with a luminous dis

,
ti n c t n e ss as if it had been nigh and beguiled ,
the toilsome length O f labour and enterprise

by which he w a s to reach it SO conspicuous .
w a s it before him that not a step deviated

,
from the direction a n d every movement and

,
every day w a s an approximation As his me .
thod referred every thing he did and thought

to the end and as his exertion did not relax
,
for a moment he made the trial so seldo m

, ,
made what is the utmost e ffect which may be

,
granted to the last possible e fforts o f a human

agent ! and therefore what he did not accomplish ,
he might conclude to be placed beyond the

S phere o f mortal activit y and calmly leave to ,
the immediate disposal of P rovidence .
Unless the eternal happiness of mankind be

an insignificant concern and the passion to ,
promote it an inglorious distinction I may cite ,
G eorge Whitefield as a noble instance o f this

attribute o f the decisive character this intense ,
necessity Of action The great cause which

.
was so languid a thing in the hands o f many

o f its advocates assumed in his administra
,
tions an unmitigable urgency .
M any of the christia n missionaries among

the heathens such as Brainerd E lliot and
, , ,
S chwartz have displayed memorable exa m

,
ples Of this dedication of their whole being to

~
their O ffice this abjuration of all the quiescent

,
feelings .
This would be the proper place for intro

du c i n g (if I did n o t hesitate to introduce in any
-
connexion with merely human instances ) the

example o f him w ho said I must be about ,
“
’
my F ather s busi n ess M y meat and drin k
is to do the will o f him that sent me and to ,
finish his work I have a b aptism to be bap

.
t i z e d with and how am I straitened till i t be

”
,
accomplished .
L E TT E R I V .
A FTE R the i llustrations o n the last article ,
it will seem but a very slight transition when I

proceed to specify C ourage as an essential ,
part o f the decisive character An intelligent .
man adventurous only in thought may sketch

, ,
the most excellent scheme and after duly a d

“
,
mirin g it and himself as its author may be

, ,
reduced to say What a noble spirit that would

,
be which sh ould dare to realize this ! A noble

spirit ! is it I ? And his heart may answer in
the negative while he glances a mortified
,
thought o f in quiry round t o recollect persons

w ho would venture what he dares not and ,
alm ost hopes not t o find them O r if by extreme .
e ffort he ha s brought himself to a resolution

Of braving the difficulty he is compelled to ,
execrate the timid li n gerings tha t still keep

him back from the trial A man endowed with .
the complete character might sa y with a sober , ,
consciousness as remote from the S pirit O f bra

vado as it i s from timidity Thus and thus is my , , ,
c onviction and m y de t er mi n a t i o n ; n o w fo r the

s
phantoms of fear ; let me look them in the face

their menacing glare and ominous tones will be
lost o n me ! I dare do all that may become a
man . I trust I shall firmly confront every thing
that threatens me while prosecuting my pur
pose and I am prepared to meet the c o n se
,
u e n c es o f it when it is accomplished L h ld
q s o u .
despise a being tho u gh it were myself whose

, ,
agency could be held enslaved by the gloomy

s hapes of imagination by the haun t ing r e c o l
,
lections of a dream by the whistling or the ,
howling O f winds by the shriek o f owls by the

, ,
shades o f midnight or by the threats o r fr ow n s

,
of man I should be indignant to feel that in

.
,
the commencement o f an adventure I could ,
think O f nothing but the deep pi t by the side O f

the way where I m u st walk into which I may ,
S lide the m a d a n i ma lwhich it i s not impossible

,
that I may meet o r the assassin who may lurk

,
in a thicket Of yonder woo d And I disdain .
to compro m ise the interests that rouse me to

action fo r the privilege o f a n ignoble security
, .
AS the conduct o f a man of decision is always

individual and Often singular he may expec t
, ,
s ome serious trials Of courage Fo r one thing .

,
he may be encountered by the strongest di s

a pprobation o f many O f his connexions and the ,
censure o f the greater part of the society where

he is known In this case it is n ot a man o f
.
,
co mmon spirit that can S how himself j ust as at

other times and meet their anger in the same
,
undisturbed manner as he would meet some

ordinary inclemency O f the weather ; that can ,
without harshness or violence continue to effect ,
every moment some part o f his design coolly ,
replying to each ungracious look and indignant

Vo i ce I am sorry to oppose you ! I am not u n
,
friendly t o you while thus persisting in what

,
excites your displ easure ; it would please me to

have your approbation and concurrence and I ,
think I S hould have them if yo u would seriously

consider my reasons ; but meanwhile I am ,
superior to opinion I am n o t to be intimidated

,
by reproaches nor would your favour and a p

,
p la u se be any reward for the sacrifice O f my

Object AS yo u can do without my approbation
.
,
I can c eIt a i n ly do without yours ; it is enough

that I can approve myself it i s enough that I ,
appeal to the last authority in the creation .
Am u se your selves a s yo u may by continuing to ,
censure o r t o rail ; I mu st continue t o act .
The attack o f contempt and ridic u le i s per

haps a s t ill greater trial Of courage It i s felt .
ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R .
by all to be an admirable thing when it can i n ,
n o degree be ascribed t o the hardness of either
stupidity o r confirmed depravity t o sustain for a ,
considerable time or in numerous instances the

, ,
looks o f scorn or an unrestrained shower O f

,
taunts and j eers with perfect composure and

, ,
proceed immediately after o r at the time o n, ,
the business that provokes all this ridicule .
This In v i n c Ibility O f temper will ofte n make

even the scoffers themselves tired o f the sport
they begin to feel that against such a man it is a
poor sort o f hostility to j oke and sneer ; and
there is nothing that peopl e are more mortified
to spend i n vain t han their scorn Till how .
,
ever a man shall become a veteran he must

, ,
reckon o n sometimes meeting this trial in the

course o f vir t uous enterp rise And if at the sug
.
,
gestion O f some meritorious but unprecedented

proceeding I hear him ask with a look and
, ,
tone of S hrinking alarm But will they not ,
laugh at me ? l— I kno w that he is not the person

whom this essay attempts to describe A man .
of the right kind would say They will smile , ,
they will laugh will they ? M uch good may it

,
do them . I have something else to do than to

trouble m yself about their mirth I do not .
care if the whole neighbourhood Were to laugh

in a chor u s I S hould indeed be sorry to se e
.
or hear such a number of fools but pleased ,
enough to find that they considered me a s an

outla w to their t ribe The good to result
.
!
130 ON D E C I S I ON OF C HA RAC TE R .
from my proj ect will not be less because vain ,
and shallow minds that cannot understand it ,
are diverted at it and at me What S hould I .
think of my pursuits if every trivial thoughtless

,
being could comprehend o r would applaud them ;

and of myself i f my courage needed levity and
,
ignorance fo r their allies o r could be abashed at

,
their sneers ?
I r e m e mb e r that on reading the account O f

,
t h e proj ect for conquering P eru for med by ,
Almagro P izarro and D e L u qu e s while a b

, , ,
b orring the actuating principle O f the men I ,
could not help admiring the hardihood O f mind

which made them regardless O f scorn These .
three individuals before they had Obtained any

,
associates o r arms o r soldiers or more than

, , ,
a very imperfect knowledge o f the power O f

the kingdom they were to conquer celebrated ,
a solemn mass in o n e of the great churches ,
as a pledge and a commencement o f the enter

pri se amidst the astonishment and contempt
,
expressed by a multitude Of people for what

wa s deemed a monstrous proj ect They .
,
however proceeded through the service and

, ,
afterwards to their respective departments o f

preparation wi t h an apparently entire i n
,
sensibility to all this triumphant contempt ;

and thus gave the first proof o f possessing
that invincible firmness with which they a f
t er w a r ds prosecuted their design till they a t ,
t a in e d a success the destructive process and

,
ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R .
m any of
the re sults of which h u manity has
ever deplored
’
M ilton s Ab diel is a noble illustration of the
courage that rises invincible above the derision
n ot only o f the multitude but of the proud and ,
elevated .
But there may be sit u ations where decision o f

character will be brought to trial against evils
o f a darker aspect than disapprobati o n or con
tempt There may be the threatening O f serious

.
suffe rings ; and very Often to dare as far as ,
conscience or a great cause required has been ,
to dare to die In almost all plans o f great

.
enterprise a man must systematically dismiss

, ,
at the entrance e v ery wish to stipulate with his

,
destiny for safety He voluntarily treads within

.
the precincts o f dan ger ; and though it be pos

sible he may escape he ought to be prepared
,
with the fortitude O f a self devoted victim -
This is the inevitable condition on which heroes ,
travellers or missionari es among savage n ations ,
and reformers on a grand scale must commence ,
their career E ither they must allay t heir fire

.
of enterprise or a bide the liability to be ex

,
p lo de d by it from the world .
The last decisive en er gy o f a rational courage

'
which confides in the S upreme P ower is very ,
sublime It makes a man who intrepidly dar e s

.
every thing that can oppose o r attack hi m

within the whole sphere of mortality ; who will
still press toward his Obj ect while death is
impending over him ; who would retain his

purpose unshaken amidst the ruins Of the world .
It was in the true elevation o f this character

that L uther when cited to appear at the D iet
,
of Worms under a very questionable assurance

,
Of safety from hig h authority said to his friends

, ,
w ho co n j ured him n o t t o go and warned hi m ,
by the example o f John Huss whom in a simi , ,
n ot saved from the fire “

lar situation the same pledge o f protec t ion had
,
I am called in the
,
name Of G o d t o go and I would go though I

, ,
were certain t o meet a s many devils in Worms

as there are tiles o n the houses .
A reader o f the Bible w ill not forget D aniel ,
bravi n g in cal m devotion the decree which vir

tu ally consigned him t o the den o f lions ! or
S hadrach M eshach and Abed nego saying to
, ,
-
,
t he tyrant ,
in this matter when the burning fiery fur

,
“
We are n o t careful to answer thee
” ”
nace w a s in sight .
The combination Of these several essential

principles constitu t es that state o f mind which
is a grand requisite t o decision o f character ,
and perhaps i t s most striking di st in c t i o n t he h
full agreement o f t he mind with itself the c o n ,
senti n g c o operation Of all its powers and all its

-
disposi t ions .
What an unfortunate task it would be fo r a

charioteer w ho had ha r n a sse d a se t Of horses
, ,
however strong i f he could n o t make the m

,
draw together ; if while o n e o f them would

,
go forward another w a s restiff another strug

, ,
gled backward ano t her started aside If even

,
.
o n e o f the four were unmanageably perverse ,
while the three were tractable an aged beggar ,
with his crutch might leave P ha e ton behind .
S O in a human being unless the chief forces a c t

,
consentaneously there can be no inflexible

,
vigour either o f will or execution O n e di s

, .
sentient principle in the mind not only deducts

so much from the strength and mass o f its
agency but counteracts and embarra sses all the
,
rest If the ju dgment holds in low estimation

.
that which yet the passions incline t o pursue ,
the pursuit will be irregular and inconstant ,
though it may have occasional fits o f animation ,
when those passions happen to be highly st i

m u la t e d If there is an Opposition between
.
judgment a n d habit thoug h the man will ,
probably continue to act mainly under the s w ay

of habit in spite o f his opinions yet sometimes ,
the intrusion Of those opinions will hav e for the

’
moment an e ffect like that of P rospero s wand
o n the limbs Of F erdinand ; and to be alter
n a t el impelled by habit and checked by

y ,
opinion will be a state o f vexatious debility

,
.
If two principal passion s are Opposed t o each

other they will utterly distract any mind
, ,
whatever might be the force o f its facult ies if

acting without embarrassment The o n e pa s .
sion may be somewhat stronger t han the other ,

and the refore j ust prevail barely enough to gi ve

a feeble impulse to the co n duct of the man
a feebleness which will continue till there be a
greater disparity between these rivals i n c o n se ,
en c e of a reinforcement to the S lightly a sc en

q u
dent one by new impressions or the gradual

, ,
strengthening o f habit forming i n its favour .
The disparity must be no less than an absolute

predominance o f the o n e and subj ection O f the
other before the prevailing passion will have at
,
liberty from the intestine conflict any large

measure o f i ts force t o throw activity into the
system o f conduct If fo r instance a man
.
, ,
feels at once the love of fame which is to be

gained only by arduous exertion s and an equal ,
degree o f the love Of ease o r pleasure w hich

precludes those e xertions if he is eager to S how
O ff in splendour a n d y et anxious t o save
,
money ; if he ha s the curiosity o f adventure ,
and yet that solicitude for safety which forbids ,
him to climb a precipice descend into a cavern

, ,
or explore a dan gerous w ild ; if he has the stern

w ill Of a tyrant and ye t the rele n tings o f a man ;
,
if he has the ambition to domineer over his

fellow mortals counteracted by a reluctance to
-
,
inflict S O m uch mischief as it might cost to

s u bdue them ; w e may a nticipate the irresolute
contradictory teno u r Of his actions E specially .
if co n scie n ce that great t roubler Of the human

,
’
breast loudly declares against a man s wishes or
,
proj ects it will be a fatal enemy t o decision till

, ,
it either recl a im the delinquent p a ssions o r be ,
debauched or laid dead by them .
L ady M acbeth may be cited as a har m onious

character though t he epithet seem strangely
,
applied .S he had capacity ambition and , ,
courage ; and She willed the death o f the king .
M acbeth had still more capacity ambition and , ,
courage ; and he also willed the murder of the

king Bu t he had besides humanity genero
.
, , ,
si t y
, conscience and some measure of what
,
forms the p ower of conscience the fear o f a ,
S uperior Being C onse q u ently when the dread

.
,
ful moment approached he felt an i n su ppor t ,
able conflict between these opposite principles ,
and when it was arrived his utmost courage

began to fail The worst part of his n ature fell
.
prostrate under the power of the better ; the

angel of goodness arrested the demon that
grasped the dagger and would have taken th a t
dagger a way if the pure demoniac firmness of
,
his wife who had none of these counteracting

,
principles had not shamed a n d hardened him to

,
the deed .
’
The poet s delineation o f Richard I I I O ffers .
a dreadful specimen of th i s I ndivisibility o f

mental impulse After his determination w a s
.
fixed the whole mind wit h the compactest

,
fidelity support ed hi m in p r osecuting it S e ;
curely privileged from all i n t er fe r en c e o f doubt

that could linger or humanity that could soften
, ,
or timidity that coul d shrink b e advanced with ,

a concentrated constancy through scene afte r

scene o f atrocity still fulfilling his vow to cut
,
hi s w a y thro u gh with a blo ody axe He did not.
waver while he pursued his Obj ect nor relent ,
when he seized it .
C romwell (whom I mention as a parallel Of ,
’
course n o t to Richard s wickedness but to his ,
inflexible vigour ) lost his mental consistency

,
in the latter end of a career w hich had displayed

a superlative example Of decision It appears .
t hat the wish to be a king at last arose in a

,
mind whic h had contemned royalty a n d battled ,
it from the land As far as he really had any

.
republican principles and partialities this new ,
desire must have been a very untoward asso

ciate fo r them and must have produced a
,
schism in the breast where all the strong forces

o f thought and passion had acted till then in
concord The new form o f ambition became

.
just predominant eno ugh to carry him by slow ,
degrees through the embarrass m ent and the

,
shame o f this incongruity into an irresolute,
determination to assume the crown ; so i rr e so

lute that he w a s reduced again t o a mortifying
,
indecision by the remonstrances o f some o f his

friends which he could have slighted and by an
, ,
apprehension o f the public disapprobation which ,
he could have braved if some o f the principles

,
Of his o w n mind had n o t shrunk o r revolted

from the design When at last the motives for
.
relinquishing this design prevaile d it w a s by so ,

ON D E C I S I ON OF C HA R A C TE R . 13 7
small a degree Of preponderance that his r e ,
lu c t a n t refusal Of the O ffered crown w a s the

voice of only half his soul .
No t only two distin ct counteracting passions ,
but one passion interested fortwo Obj ects both ,
equ ally desirable but of which the one must be

,
sacrificed may annihilate in that instance the

,
possibility O f a resolute promptitude of conduct .
I recollect reading in a n o ld divine a story from ,
some hi st o r Ia n applicable t o this remark

,
A .
father went to the agents o f a tyrant to e n dea ,
vour t o redeem hi s two sons military men who

, , ,
with some other captives o f w a r were c o n ,
demn e d t o die He Offered as a ransom a su m

.
, ,
of money and to surrender his o w n life The

,
.
’
tyrant s agents w ho had them in ch an ge i n ,
formed him that t his equivalent w ould be a c

c e t e d fo r one Of his sons
p and fo r o n e only
, ,
because they S hould be accountable fo r the

execution of two persons ; he m ight therefore
choose which he would redeem Anxious to .
save even one of them thus at the expense o f

his own life he yet was unable to decide which
,
should die by choosing the other to live and

, ,
remained in the agony of this dilem m a so long

that they were both irreversibly ordered for
execution .
138 ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R .
LE TTE R V .
IT were absurd to suppose that any human

being can attain a state of mind capable o f
actin g in all instances invariably with the full
power O f determination ; but it is Obvious that
many have possessed a habit u al and very com
manding measure o f it ; and I think the pre
ceding remarks have taken account of its chief
characteristics and constituent principles A .
number of additional Observations remains .
The slightest view O f human a ffairs shows

.
wh at fatal and wide spread mischief ma y be

-
caused by men of this character when misled ,
or wicked You have but to recollect the con

.
u e r o r s despots bigots unjust conspirators and

q , , , ,
signal villains Of every class who have blasted

,
society by the relentless vigour which could act

consistently and heroically wro n g Till there .
fore the virtue o f mankin d be greater there is ,
reason t o be plea sed that S O few o f them are en

dowed with extraordinary decision .
E ven when dig n ified by wisdo m and principle ,
this quality requires great care in the possessors

Of it t o prevent its becoming unamiable As .
it involves much practical assertion o f su p e ri o

rity over other human beings it should be as ,
ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R .
temperate and conciliating as possible in

manner ; else pride will feel provoked a ffection ,
hurt and weakness oppressed But this is n o t

, .
the man n er which will be most natural to su ch

a man ; rather it will be high toned laconic -
, ,
and careless o f pleasing He will have the .
appearance of keeping himself always at a di s

tance from social equality ; and his frien ds will
feel as if their friendship were co n tinually
i
sliding into subserviency ; while hi s intimate

connexions wi ll think he does not attach the
due importance either to their opinions or to
their regard His manner when they di ffer
.
,
from him or complain will be too much like

, ,
the expression of slight estimation and some ,
times O f disdain .
When he can acco mplish a design by hi s

O w n personal means alone he may be disposed ,
to separate himself to the work wit h the cold

self enclosed individuality on which no o n e has
-
any hold which seems to recognise no kindred

,
being in the world which takes little account o f

,
good wishes and kind concern any m ore than ,
it cares for opposition ; which seeks neither

aid nor sympathy and seems to sa y I do, ,
not want any of you and I am glad that I ,
do not ; leave me a l one to succeed o r die .
This has a very repellen t e ffect o n the friends

w ho wished to feel the mselves of some i m
p ortance in some
, w a
y o r other to a person ,
whom they are constrained to respect When .

assistance i s indispensable to hi s undertakings ,
hi s mode o f signifying it will seem to command ,
rather than invite the c o operat ion

,
-
.
In consultation his manner will indicate that

,
when he i s equally wit h the rest in possession

of the circumstances of the case he does not ,
at all expect to hear any opinions that shall

correct his own ; but is satisfied that either his
present conception o f the subj ect is the just
one o r that his own mind must originate that
,
which shall be SO This di fference will be

.
apparent between him and his associates that ,
t hei r m anner of receiving hi s opinions is that of
agreement o r dissent ; hi s manner of receiving

t hei r s is j udicial
—
that o f sanction or rej ection .
He has the tone O f authoritatively deciding o n

what they say but never o f submitting to de
,
c i si o n what himself says Their coincidence

.
with his views does n o t give hi m a firmer a s

surance o f hi s being right n o r their dissent ,
any other impression than that o f their inca

a c it to j udge If his feeling took the dis
p y .
tinct form Of a reflection it would be M ine , ,
is the business o f comprehending and devising ,
and I a m here t o rule this company and n o t ,
t o consult them I want t heir docility and n o t ,
their arguments ; I am come not to seek ,
their assistance in thinking but t o determine ,
their concurrence in executing what is already

tho u ght fo r them O f course many su gge s
.
,
tions and reasons which appear important to

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C TE R . 1 4]
those they come from will be disposed O f by ,
him with a transient attention or a light ,
facility that will seem very disrespectful to

,
persons w ho possibly hesitate to admit that

he is a demi go d and that they are but idiots
-
,
.
L ord C hatham in going o u t o f the House Of

,
C ommons just as o n e o f the speakers against

,
him concluded his speech by emphatically

urging what he perhaps rightly thought the
unanswerable question Wher e can we find
”
,
means t o support such a war ? turned round

a momen t and gaily chanted,
G entle shep ,
herd tell me w he re
,
.
E ven the assenting convictions and practical ,
compliances yielded by degrees to this decisive

,
m a n may be somewhat undervalued ; a s they

,
will appear to him n o more than S imp ly comi n g ,
a n d that very slowly to a ri ght apprehension ,
whereas he understood and decided justly fro m

t he first and has been right all this while
,
.
He w ill be in danger of rej ecting the j ust

claims of C harity for a little tolerance to the
prejudices hesitation and timidi t y Of those
, , ,
with whom he ha s to act

‘
He will say to .
himself I wish there were a n y thing like man

,
hood among the beings called men ; and that

they could have the sense and spirit not to -
let themselves be hampered by so many silly

notions and c hildish fears ? Why cannot they
either determine wit h some promptitude o r let ,
me that can do it for them ? Am I to wait

, ,
till debility become strong and folly wise ? ,
If full scope be allowed to these tendencies ,
they ma y give too much of the character o f a

tyrant to even a man o f elevated virtue since , ,
in the consciousness Of the right intention and ,
the assurance of the wise contrivance of his ,
de signs he will hold himself j ustified in being

,
regardless Of every thing but the accomplish

ment Of them He will forget all respect for
.
the feelings and liberties of beings who are

accounted but a subordinate machinery to be ,
actuated or to be thrown aside when n ot a c

,
t u a t e d by the spring of his commanding spirit

, .
I have before asserted that this strong cha

r a c t e r ma be exhibited with a mildness or at
y ,
least tempe rance O f m anner ; and that gene

, ,
rally i t will thus best secure its e fficacy But

, .
this mildness must Often be at the cost Of great

e ffor t ; and how much considerate policy o r
benevolent forbearance it will require fo r a man ,
to exert his utmost vigour in the very task a s it ,
will appear to him at the time O f cramping that ,
vigour — L ycurgus appears to have been a high

example Of conciliating patience in the resolute
prosecutio n of designs to be e ffected among a
perverse multitude .
It is probable that the men most distinguished

for decision have n o t in general possessed a
,
large S hare o f tenderness ; and it is easy t o

imagine that the laws O f o u r nature will with ,
great difficulty allo w the combination O f the

,
ON D EC I S I ON OF C HA R A C TE R . 1 43
refined sensibilities with a hard never shrinking ,

-
,
n ever yielding firmness Is it not almost O f the

-
.
essence O f this temperament to be free from

even the p er c ep t i on of such impressions as cause
a mind weak through suscepti bility to relax or
, ,
waver ; j ust as the S kin of the elephant or the ,
armo u r o f the rhinoceros would be but indis ,
t i n c tl
y sensible to the application of a force by
which a small animal with a S kin o f t hin and
,
delicate texture would be pierced or lacerated

,
to death ? N o doubt this firmness consists ,
partly i n a comm anding and repressive power

over feelings but it may consist fully as much
,
in not having them To be exquisitely alive

.
to gentle impressions and yet to be able t o ,
preserve when the prosecution o f a design

, _ _
requires it an immovable heart amidst the

,
most imperious causes o f subduing emotion ,
is perhaps not an impossible constitution O f

mind but it must be the rarest endowment of
,
humanity .
If you take a Vie w of the first rank of decisive

men you will Observe that their faculties hav e
,
been too much bent to ard u ous e ffort their ,
souls have bee n kept in too military an attitude ,
they have been begirt with t o o much iron fo r ,
the melting movements of the heart Their .
whole being appears too much arrogated and

occupied by the S pirit O f severe design urgin g ,
them toward some defined end to be su fficiently ,
at ease fo r the indolent complacency the soft ,

lassitude o f gentle a ffections which love to

, ,
surrender th e mselves t o the present felicities ,
forgetful o f all enterprises o f great pith and

mo ment . The man seems rigorously intent
still o n his o w n affairs, as he walks or regales , ,
o r mingles with domestic society ; and appears
t o despise all the feelings that will not take
rank with the grave labours and decisions o f

intellect o r coalesce with the unremitting pas
,
sion which is his spring o f action ! he values

not feelings which he cannot employ either as
weapons o r as engines He loves to be a c .
t u a t e d by a passion SO strong as to compel
into exercise the utmost force O f his being and ,
fix hi m in a tone compared with which the

, ,
gentle a ffections if he had felt them would be

, ,
accounted tameness and their exciting causes

,
insipidity .
Yet we cannot willingly admit that those

ge n tle a ffections are totally incompati ble with
the most impregnable resolution and vigour ;
n o r can we help believing that such men as
Timoleon Alfred and G usta v us Adolphus must
, , ,
have been very fascinating associates in private

and domestic life whenever the urgency o f their
,
a ffairs would allow them t o withdraw fro m the

interests o f statesmen and warriors to indulge ,
the a ffections o f men ! most fascinating fo r , ,
with relations o r friends who had any right per

c e t i o n s an e ffect o f the st r ong character would
p ,
be recognis ed in a p e c u lia r charm imparted by

it to the gentle moods and seasons The fir m .
ness and energy Of the man whom nothing could

subdue would exalt the quality of the tender
,
ness which softened him to recline .
But it were much easier to enumerate a long

train Of ancient and modern examples o f the
vigour unmitigated by the sensibility P erhaps .
indeed these indomitable spirits have yielded

sometimes to some species O f love as a mode ,
of amusin g their passions fo r an interval till ,
greater engagements have su mmoned them

into their pr op e r element ; when they have
'
shown how little the sentiment was an element

o f the heart by the ease with which the y could
,
relinquish the temporary favourite In other .
cases where there have not been the selfish

,
inducements which this passion supplies t o the

, ,
exhibition of someth i ng like soft ness and where ,
they have been left to the trial of what they

might feel of the sympathies o f humanity in their
simplicity no rock on earth could be harder
,
.
The celebrated ! ing o f P russia occurs to

me a s a capital instance of the decisive cha
,
r a c t e r ; and there occurs to me at the same ,
time o n e o f the anecdotes related o f him

,
*
.
if
u then t i i t y o f thi a n e cdo t e which I r e a d in som
T he a c s ,
e
t rifling fu gi t iv p ub l i c a t ion m a ny y e ar si c e ha b e e q u e
e s n ,
s n s
t i on e d P ossibly nough i t mi ght b on e f t h m a ny

. e e O e
s t ori e s only ha lf t ru e whic h co u l d n o t fa il t o g a bro a d o
conc e rni g a m a n who m a de i n hi s da y so gr ea t a figu r e

n , ,
.
Bu t a s i t do e s n o t a t a ll misr e pr e s en t t he g n er al ch r a c t r e a e
Intending to make in the night an important , ,
movement in his camp which w a s in S ight of ,
the ene my he gave orders that by eight o clock

,
’
all the lights in the camp S hould be put o u t ,
o n pain o f death The moment that the time

.
w a s passed he walked o u t himse lf to see whether

,
all were dark He found a light in the tent

.
o f a C aptain Zi e t e r n which he e n tered j ust as ,
the o fficer was folding up a letter Zi et ern .
knew him and in stantly fell on his knees to

,
intreat hi s mercy The king asked t o Whom .
he had bee n writing ; he said i t was a letter

t o his wife which he had retained the candle
,
these few minutes beyond the time in order to

finish The king coolly ordered him t o rise
.
,
and write o n e line more which he should ,
dictate This line was to inform his wife

.
,
without any explanation that by such an hou r ,
the next day he should be a dead man , .
The letter w a s then sealed and despatched as ,
it had been intended ; and the n ext day the , ,
captain w a s executed I sa y nothing o f the .
justice o f the punishment itself ; but this cool

barbarity t o the a ffection both o f the O fficer
and his wife p roved ho w little the decisive hero
,
and reputed philosopher was capable o f the
of hi s min d S inc e the r e a r m a ny incon t rov e r ti bl e fa c t prov

, e s
ing g ains t hi m s gr a t a d gr e of cru el t y a s t his a n c do t

a a e e e e e
w ul d cha rg on hi m th w a n t o f m e ns t o prov e t hi
o e , e a s
o n e fa c t do e s n o t s ee m t o impos e a
y n e c e ssi t y for omi t t ing n
t he illus t r a t ion .
tender a ffections o r o f s ympathizing with their

,
pains .
At the same t ime it is prop er to observe that

, ,
the case may easily occur in which a man , ,
sustaining a high responsibility mu st be reso ,
lute to act in a manner which may make hi m

appear to want the finer feelings He may be .
placed under the necessity o f doing what he

knows will cause pain to persons O f a character
to feel i t severely He may be obliged to resist
.
affectionate wishes expostulation s entreaties

, , ,
and tears Take this same instance S uppose

. .
the wife of Z i e t er n had come to supp licate for

him not only the remission o f the punish ment
,
o f death but an exemption from any other

,
severe punishment which was perhaps justly

,
du e to the violation Of such an order issued

no doubt for important reasons ; it had then
probably been the duty and the virtue o f the
co mmander to deny the most interesting sup
pliant and to resist the most pathetic appeals
,
which could have been made t o his feelings .

1 48 ON D EC I S I ON OF C HA R A C T ER .
LE TTER VI .
V A R IO U S
circumstances might be specified as
adapted to confirm su ch a character as I have
attempted to describe I S hall notice two o r
5
.
three .
And first Opp osi ti on

, The passions which
.
inspirit men to resistance and sustain them i n ,
it s u ch as an ger indignation and resent m ent

, , , ,
are evidently far stronger than those which

have reference to friendly obj e cts ; a n d if any o f
these strong passions are fr e qu e nt lyk ex c it e d by
opposition they infuse a cer tain q u ality into the
,
general temperament Of the mind wh i ch r e ,
m ai n s after the immediate excitement is past .
They continually strengthen the principle o f

r e action ; they put the mind in the habit u al
-
array Of defence and self assertion and Often -

,
give it the aspect and the posture O f a gladiator ,
when there appears no confronting c ombatant .
When these passions are provoked in such a

person as I describe it is probable that each
,
excitement is followed by a greater increase of

thi s principle o f r e action than in other men
-
,
b ecause this result is so congenial with his

naturally resolute disposition L et him be .
opposed then throughout the pr osecution O f

,
'
.
one o f hi s designs o r in the general tenour o f

,
his actio n s and this constan t opposition would

,
render him the service o f an ally by augmenting ,
the resisting and defying power o f his mind .
An irresolute spirit indeed might be quelled and

subjugated by a formidable and persisting oppo
sitiou ; but the stro n g wind which blows out a
taper exasperates a p owerful fire (if there be
,
fuel enough ) to an indefinite intensity It .
would be found in fact o n a recollection Of

, ,
instances that many Of the persons most con

,
s i c u o u s fo r decision h ave been exercised and

p ,
forced to this high tone Of spirit in havin g to

m ake their w a y through opposition and co n t est ;
a discipline under which they were wrought to
both a prompt acuteness of faculty and an ,
inflexibility o f temper hardly attainable even

,
by minds of great natural strength if brought ,
forward into the a ffairs O f life u nder indulgent

auspices and in habits o f easy a n d friendly
,
coincidence with those around them Often .

,
ho w ever it is gran t ed the firmness matured

, ,
by such discipline is in a man of virtue a c c o m

, ,
a n i e d with a C atonic severity and in a mere

p ,
man of the world is an unhumanized repulsive

hardness .
9 D eser t i on may be another cause conducive to

the consolidation O f this character A kind .
mutually reclining dependence i s cer t ainly for ,

1 50 ON D E C I S I ON OF C HA R A C T E R .
the happiness o fhuman beings but this n e c e ssa

rily prevents the developement o f some great i n
dividual powers which would be forced into action
by a state Of abandonment I lately h appened .
to notice with some surprise an ivy which

, , , ,
finding n othing to cling to beyond a certai n

point had S hot o ff into a bold elastic stem with
, ,
an air of as much independence a s any branch of

o a k in the vicinity S O a human being thrown
.
,
whether by cruelty justice o r accident from, , ,
all social support and kindness if he have any ,
v igour o f spirit and be n o t in the bodily debility

,
Of either C hildhood o r age will begin to act fo r ,
himself with a resolution which will appear like

a new faculty And the most absolute i n flex i
.
b ilit y is likely to characterize the resolution o f

an individual who is obliged to deliberate
without consultation and exe cute without as ,
si st a n c e He will dis dain to yield to beings

.
w ho have rej ected him o r to forego a particle ,
o f his designs o r advantages in concession to
the opinions o r the will o f all the world .
Himself his pursuits and his interests are

, , ,
emphatically hi s o wn The world is n o t .
’
his friend n o r the world s law ; and therefore
,
he becomes regardless o f every thing but its

power o f which his policy carefully takes the
,
measure i n order t o ascertain his o wn means

,
o f action and impunity as set against the ,
’
world s means o f annoyance prevention and , ,
ret a liation .
If this p erson have but little humanity o r

principle he will become a misanthrope o r
, ,
perhaps a villain w ho w ill resemble a solitary

,
wild beast o f the night which makes prey o f ,
every thin g it can overpower and cares for ,
nothing but fire If he be capable o f grand

.
conception and enterprise he may like S par , ,
ta c u s make a daring attempt against the whole

,
social order o f the state where he has been -
oppressed If he be Of great humanity and

.
principle he may become o n e o f th e noblest

,
o f mankind and display a generous virtue to

,
which society had no claim and which it i s not ,
worthy t o reward if it should at last become

,
inclined . N o he will sa y give your rewards

, ,
to another ; as it has been no part of my O b

j e c t to gain them they are not,
necessary to
my satisfaction I have done good without
.
,
expecting your gra titude and w ithout caring ,
for your approbation If conscience and my .
C reator had not been more auspicious than

you none of these virtues would ever have
,
opened to the day When I ought to have .
been an Obj ect o f your compassion I might ,
have perished ; now when you find I can serve ,
your interests you will affect to acknowledge

,
me and reward m e ; but I will abide by my

destiny to verify the principle that virtue is its
o w n rewar d — I n either case v irtuous or wicked , ,
the man who has been compell e d to do w it hout

assistance will spurn interferen c e
,
.
UN D E UIb IUN O F CH A RA C T E R .
C ommon life would supply illustrations Of

the e ffect Of desertion in examples o f some,
Of the most resolute m e n having become such

partly from being left friendless in early life .
The case has also sometimes happened that ,
a wife a n d mother remarkable perhaps for

,
gentleness and acquiescence before has been ,
compelled after t he death Of her husband o n

,
whom she depended and when S he has met

,
with nothing but neglect o r unkindness from

relations and those w ho had been acco u nted
friends to adopt a plan o f her o w n and has
, ,
executed it with a resolution which ha s a s

t o n i she d even herself .
O ne regrets that the signal examples real o r ,
fictitious that most readily present themselves

, ,
are still Of the depraved order I fancy myself .
to se e M arius sitti n g on the r u ins o f C arthage ,
where no arch o r column that remained n u ,
shaken amidst the desolation could present a ,
stronger image o f a firmness beyond the power

o f disaster to subdue The rigid constancy
.
which had before distinguished his character ,
would be aggravated by his finding himself

thus an outcast from all human society ; and
he would proudly shake o ff every sentiment
that had ever for a n instant checked his de
signs i n the way o f reminding him o f social
obligations The lonely individual was placed
.
in the alternative o f becoming the victim o r

t he antagonist Of the power O f the empire .
While with a S pirit capable Of confronting

,
that power he resolved amidst those ruins o n

, , ,
a great experiment he would enj oy a kind o f

,
sullen luxury in surveying the dreary situ ation

into which he was driven and recollecting the,
circumstances of his expulsion ; since they

would seem to him to sanction an unlimited
vengeance ; to present what had been his
co u ntry as the pure legitimate prize fo r des
perate achievement ; and to give him a proud
consequence i n being re duced to maintain singly
a mortal quarrel against the bulk Of mankind .
He would exult that the v ery desolation Of his

condition rendered but the more complete the
proof Of his possessing a mind which n o mis
fortunes could repress o r intimidate an d that ,
it kindled an animosity intense eno u gh to force

that mind from firm endurance into impetuous
action He would feel that he became stronger
.
fo r enterprise “
, in proportio n as his exile and ,
destitution rendered him more inexorable ; and

the sentiment with which he quitted his soli
tude would be R ome expelled her patriot let
, ,
her receive her evil genius .
The decision Of S atan In P aradise L ost is

, ,
represented as consolidated by his reflections

o n his hopeless banishment from heave n which ,
oppress hi m with sadness for some moments ,
but he soon resum es his invincible spirit and ,
u tters t he impious but s u blime sentiment
Wh t m t t r wher if I b s till th m
a a e e, e e sa e.
You remember how this e ffect o f desertion is

’
represented in C harles de M oor *
His father s .
supposed cruel rej ection consigned him irre

t r i e v a bly to the career Of atrocious enterprise ,
in which notwithstanding the most interestin g

,
emotions o f humanity and tenderness b e per ,
sisted with heroic determination till he con

side r e d his destiny as accomplished .
S u cc ess tends considerably to reinforce this

com manding quality It is true that a m a n
.
possessing it in a high degree will n o t lose it

by occasional failure ; fo r if the failure was
caused by something entirely beyond the reach
o f human knowledge and ability he will r e ,
member that fortitude is the virtue required

in meeting unfavourable events which in no
sense depended on him if by something which
mig ht have been known and prevented he ,
will feel that even the experience Of failure

co m pletes his competence by admonishing ,
his prudence and enlarging his understand

,
ing But as schemes and measures o f action

.
rightly adjusted to their proposed ends will

generally attain the m continual failure would
,
’
show someth i ng essentially wrong in a man s
system and destroy his confi dence o r else ex
, ,
pose it as mere absurdity o r obstinacy O n .
the contrary when a man has ascertai ned by

,
experiment the j ustness o f his calculations and

A wil dly e x tra v a ga n t c er t inly b t mos t imposing
, a , u an d
’
gig a n tic ch a ra c t er in S chill er s t ra ge dy T h Robbers
, e .
the extent o f his powers when he has measured

,
his force with various persons when he has ,
braved and vanquished difficulty and partly ,
seized the prize he will carry forward the result

,
of all this in an intrepid self sufficiency for what

-
ever may yet await him .
In some men whose lives have been spent

,
in constan t perils conti nued success has pro

,
du c e d a confidence beyond its rational e ffect ,
by I nsp i ring a presumption that the co mmon

l aws O f human affairs were I n their case su , ,
er se de d by the decrees o f a peculiar destiny

p ,
securing them from a lmo st the possibility Of ‘
disaster ; and this superstitious feeling tho u gh ,
it has displaced the u nconqu erable resolution

from its rational basis has Often pr oduced ,
the most wonderful e ffects This dictated .
“
’
C aesar s expression to t he marin er who was
terrified at the storm and billows What art ,
tho u afraid o f — thy vessel carries C aesar

The brave men in the times O f the E nglish C om
m on w e a lt h were some O f them indebted in a
, ,
degree for their magnani mity to this idea o f a

special desti n atio n entertained as a religious
,
sentiment.
The wilfu lness Of an Obstinate person is some

times fortified by some single instance o f r e
markable success i n his undertakings which ,
is promptly recalled in every case where his

decisions are questioned or opposed as a proof , ,
o r gro und o f just presumption that he must ,

1 56 ON D EC I S ION OF C H A RA C TE R .
in this instance t o o be right ; especially if that

on e success happened contrary to your pre
dictions .
I shall only add and without ill u stration

, ,
that the habit o f associating with i nfer i or s ,
among who m a man can always an d there ,
fore does always take the precedence and

,
give the law is conducive to a subordinate

,
coarse kind o f decision o f character You may .
se e this exemplified any day in an ignorant

’
country S quire among his vassals especially
if he wear the lordly superaddition Of Justice
Of the P eace .
In v iewing the characters and actions o f the

men who have possessed in imperial eminence
the quality which I have attempted to de
scribe o n e cannot but wish it were possibl e
,
to know how much of this mighty s u periority

w a s created by the circumstances in which
they were placed ; but it i s inevitable to b e
lieve that there was some vast intrinsic dif
ference from ordinary men in the origin al con
st i t u t i on a l structure o f the mind In Observing
.
lately a man w h o appeared t o o vacant almost

t o think o f a purpose t o o indi fferent t o r e
,
solve upon it and t o o sluggish to execute it

,
if he had resolved I was distinctly struck with

,
the idea o f the distance be t ween him and

M arius o f whom I happened to have been
,
reading ; a n d it w a s infinitely beyond my

power t o believe that any circumstances o n
earth though ever S O perfectly combined and

,
ad a pted would have produced in this man if

, ,
placed under their fullest influence from his

childhood any resemblance (unless perhaps
,
the courage to enact a diminutive imitation

in revenge and cruelty ) Of the formidable
R oman .
It is needless to discuss whether a person

w ho is practically evinced at the age o f ma ,
t u ri ty to want the stamina Of this character

, ,
can by a n y process acquire it Indeed such

, ,
.
a person cannot have su fficient force Of w i ll

to make the complete experiment If there .
were the unconquerable w ill that would per

sist to seize all possible means and apply ,
them in order to attain if I may so express ,
it this stronger mode o f active existence it

, ,
would prove the possession already o f a high

degree o f the character sought ; and if there
is not this w i ll ho w then is the s upposed a t
,
t a i n m en t possible ?
Yet though it is improbable that a very

irresolute man can ever become a habitually
decisive o n e it sho uld be Observed that since
, ,
there are deg r ees o f this powerful quality and ,
since the essential principles o f it when par ,
ti a lly existing in those degrees cannot be ,
supposed subj ect to definite and ultimate limi

t a ti o n like the dimension Of the bodily stature
, ,
i t might be possible to apply a discipline which

S hould advance a man from the lowes t degree
to the next from that to the third a n d how

, ,
much further i t will be worth his trying if

—
,
his first successful experiments have n o t cost

more in the e fforts for making the attainment ,
than he j udges likely to be repaid by any good

he shall gain from its exercise I have but a .
very imperfect conception of the discipline but

will suggest a hint o r two .
In the first place the indispensable meces

,
si t y o f a clear and comprehensive knowledge
o f the concerns before us seems t o o Obvious

,
fo r remark ; and yet no man has been su ffi

c i en t l sensible o f it till he has been placed
y ,
in circumstances which forced him to a c t

before he had time or after he had made
,
ine ffectual efforts to obtain the needfu l i n

,
formation and understanding The pain of

.
having brought things to an u nfortun a te issue ,
is hardly greater than that o f proceeding in

the conscious ignorance which continually
threatens such an issue While thus pro
.
c ee di n g at hazard under some compulsion

,
which makes it impossible for him to remain

in inaction a man looks round fo r i n fo r
,
mation as eagerly as a benighted wanderer

would for the light o f a human dwelling He .
perhaps labours to recall what he thinks he

once heard o r read a s relating to a similar
S ituation without dreaming at that time that
,
such instruction could ever come to be Of

importance to him ; and is distressed to find
his best recollection S O indistinct as to be

u seless He would give a considerable su m
.
,
if some particular book cou ld be brought to

him at the instan t ; o r a certain document
which he believes to be in existence ; o r
the detail o f a process the terms of a pre ,
scription or the model o f an implement

, .
He thinks how many people kno w without ,
i t s being o f any present u se to t hem , exactly

what could be o f such important service to
him If he could know it
, In some cases .
,
a line a sentence a monosyllable o f a ffir m

, ,
ing or denying o r a momenta ry sight o f an

,
Obj ect would be inexpressibly valuable and

,
welcome And he resolves that if he can

.
once happily escape from the pr e se rn di ffi

culty he will apply himself day and night
,
to obtain knowledge not concerning one par

,
t i c u la r matter only but divers others in

, ,
provision against possible emergencies rather ,
than be so involved and harassed again It .
might really be of service to have been o c

ly forced to act under the di sa dv a n
c a si on a l
tage o f c o n solou s ignorance (if the affair was

not so important as to allow the consequence
to be very injurious ) as an e ffectual lesson ,
on the n e cessity o f knowledge in order to

decision either o f plan o r execution It mus t .
indeed be an extreme case that will compel

a considerate m a n to act in the absence
of knowledge ; yet he may sometimes be
necessitated to proceed to action when he is ,
sensible his information is far from extending

to the whole o f the concern in which he is
going to commit hi m self And in this case
.
,
he will feel no little uneasiness while trans ,
acting that part o f it in which his knowledge

is com petent when he looks forward to the
,
point where that knowledge terminates ; u n

less he be conscious O f possessing an exceed
i n gly prompt faculty o f catching information
at the moment that he wants it fo r use ;
as Indians se t o u t on a long j ourney with
but a trifling stock o f provisio n becau se they
,
are sure that their bows o r guns will procure

it by the way It is o n e o f the nicest points
.
o f wisdom to decide how much less than

complete knowledge in any question o f p ra c
,
tical interest will warrant a man to venture o n

,
an un dertaking in the presumption that the

,
deficiency will b e supplied in time to prevent

either perplexity o r disaster .
A thousand familiar instances show the e f

fe c t o f complete k n owledge o n determination .
An artisan may be said t o be decisive as to

the mode o f working a piece o f iron o r wood ,
because he is certain o f the proper process

and the e ffect A man perfectly acquainted
.
with the intricate paths Of a woodland di s

’
t r i c t takes the right o n e without a moment s
,
hesitation ; while a stranger w ho has only some

,
very vague informatio n is lost in perplexity

,
.
It is easy to imagine what a number of cir ‘
c u m st a n c e s may occur in the course o f a life ,
or even o f a year in w hich a m a n cannot

,
thus readily determine a n d thus confidently

.
proceed without a compass and an exactness

o f knowledge which few persons have a ppli
cation enough to acquire An d it would be .
frightful to kno w to what extent human i n

t e r e St s are committed to the direction o f i g
n o ra n c e
. What a consolatory doctrine is that
O f a particular P rovidence
In conn exion with the necessity of know

ledge I would sugges t the importance of
,
cultivating with the utmost industry a con

, ,
cl u si v e manner O f thinking In the first place

.
,
let the general course o f thinking partake of

“
the nature of r ea son i n g ; and let it be r e
membered t hat this name does not belong
to a series of thoughts and fancies which
follow one another without deduction or de
p e n de n c e
,
and which can therefore no more
bring a subject to a proper issue than a ,
n u mber of separate links will answer the m e
c ha n i c a l purpose of a chain The conclusion

.
which terminates such a series does not de ,
serve the name of r esu l u si on

t o r c on c l since ,
it has little m ore than a casual connexion

with what went b e fore ; the conclusion m ight
a s properly have taken place at an earlier point
o f the train or have been deferred till that

,
train had been extended much further Instead .
M
of having been busily employed in this kind

o f thinking fo r perhaps many hour s a man
, ,
might po ssibly as well have been S leeping

all the time ; S ince the single thought which
is n ow t o determine his conduct might have ,
happened to be the first thought that o c

curred to him o n awaking It only happ en s
.
to occur t o him n o w ; it does not follow from

what he has been t hinki n g these hours ; at
least he cannot prove that some other thought
,
might not just as appropriately have come in its

place at the end and to make an end Of this
, ,
long series It is easy to see how feeble that

.
determination is likely to be which is formed ,
on so narrow a ground as the last accidental

idea that comes into the mind o r on S O loose ,
a ground as this cr u de uncombined assemblage

o f ideas Indeed i t is difficult to form a de
.
termination a t all o n such slight ground A .
man delays and waits for some more satis

,
factory thought to occur to him ; and perhaps

he has n ot waited long before an idea arises
,
in his mind of a quite contrary tendency to

t h e last As this ad ditional idea is not more
.
,
than that which preceded it the result of any ,
process Of reasoning n or brings with it any argu

,
ments it may be expected to give place soon to

,
another and still another ; and they are all in

,
succession Of equal authority that i s properly of

,
n one If at last an idea occurs to him which

.
seems o f considerable authority he may here ,

make a stand and adopt his resolution with

, ,
firmness as he thinks and commence the ex

, ,
e c u t i on
. But still if he cannot se e w hen c e
,
the principle which has determined him de

rives its authority o n what it holds fo r
—
that authority — his resolution i s likely to

prove treacherous and evanescent in any se
rions trial A prIn CIple so little verified by
.
so u nd reasoning is not terra firm a for a

,
man to trust himself upon ; it I s only as a

slight incrustation on a yielding element ; it
is like the sand compacted into a thin su rface
on the lake Ser b o n i s which broke away under
,
the unfortunate army which had begun to a d

vance o n i t mistaking it fo r solid ground
, .
— These remarks may seem to r efer o n ly to _
a sin g le i n sta n ce of deliberation ; but they a r e

equally applicable to all the deliberations and
’
undertakings of a man s life ; the same c o n
n e c t e d manner of thinking which is so n e ,
c e ssa r
y to give firmness Of determination and
o f conduct in a particular instance will if , ,
habitual greatly contribute to form a decisive

,
character .
N ot only should thinking be thus reduced ,
by a strong and patient discipline to a train ,
o r process in which all the parts at once de

,
pend upon and support one another but also ,
this train should be followed o n to a full

conclusion It should be held as a law g e
.
n er a l ly in force that the question mus t be

,
M 2
disposed o f before it is let alone The mind .
may carry o n this accurate process to some

length and then stop t hrough indolence or
, ,
start away through levity ; but it can never

possess that rational confidence in its o pi
nions which is requisite to the character in
question till it is conscious o f acquiring the m
,
from an exercise o f thought continued o n to

"
its result The habit Of thinking thus com

.
p le t el is indispensab l
y e to the general charac
ter of decision ; and in any particular I nstance ,
it i s found that short pieces o f courses O f

reasoning though correct as far as they go
, ,
are inadequate to make a man master O f the

i mmediate concern They are besides of little
.
value fo r aid to future thinking ; because from

being left thus incomplete they are but Slightly
retained by the mind and soon sink away ; ,
in the same manner as the walls O f a structure

left unfinished speedily moulder .
After these remarks I S hould take occasion

,
to Observe that a vigorous exercise o f thought

,
may someti mes for a while seem to increase

the diffi culty of decision by discovering a ,
great number o f unthought O f reasons fo r a -
measure and against it so that the most dis ,
criminating mind may during a S hort space , ,
find itself in the state o f the magnetic needle

u nd er the equator But no case in t he world
.
can really have a perfect equality Of opposite

r easons ; n o r will it long appear to have it ,
ON D E C I S I ON OF C HA RA C TE R . 16 5
in the es t imate o f a clear a n d well disci plined -
intellect which after some time will ascertain

, ,
though the di fference is small which side o f the ,
question has ten and which has but nine At, .
any rate this is the mind to come nearest in the

approximation .
Another thing that would powerfully assist

toward complete decision both in the par ,
tic ul a r instance and in the general spirit o f

,
the character is for a man to place himself

,
in a S ituation analogous to that in which C aesar

placed hi s soldiers when b e burnt the S hips ,
which brought them t o land If his judg .
ment is r ea lly decided let him commit himself ,
i rretrievably by doing something which S hall

,
oblige him to do more which shall lay o n ,
him the necessity o f doing all If a m a n re .
solves as a general intention t o be a philan

t hr o pi st I would sa y t o him F orm some
, ,
actual plan of philanthropy and begin the ,
execution o f it to morrow (if I may n ot sa y -

,
t o da y ) so explicitly that you cannot relinquish

-
, ,
it without becoming degrade d even in your

own estimation If a man would be a her o
.
,
let him if it be possible to find a good cause

,
in arms go presently to the camp If a man

, .
is desirous o f a travelling adventure through

distant countries and deliberately approves ,
both his purpose and his scheme let him ,
a ctually prepare to se t O ff L et hi m n o t .
still dwell in imagination o n mountains

, , ,
166 ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R .
rivers and temples ; but give di r ections about

,
his remittances his personal equipments or

, ,
the carriage or the vessel in which he is to

, ,
go L edyard surprised the official person who

.
asked him how soon he could be ready to

se t o f f for the interior of Africa by replying ,
promptly and firmly TO morrow -

.
Again it is highly conducive to a manly

,
firmness that the interests in which it is ex

,
er t e d should be of a dignified order so as to ,
give the passions an ample scope and a noble ,
obj ect The degradation they su ffer in being

.
devoted to m ean and trivial pursuits Often ,
perce i ved to be such in spite o f every fallacy

o f the imagination would in general I should
, ,
thin k also debilitat e their energy and therefore

, ,
preclude strength of character to which no ,
thing can be more adverse than to have ,
the fire o f the passions damped by the m o r ti fi

cation of feeling contempt fo r the obj ect ,
as often as its meanness is betrayed by failure

o f the delusion which invests it .
And finally I would repeat that on e should

,
’
think a man s o wn conscientious approbation
of his conduct must be o f vast importance to
his decision in the outset and his persevering
,
constan cy ; and I would attribute it t o defect

o f memory that a greater proportion o f the
examples introduced fo r illustration in this

,
essay do n o t exhibit goodness in union with

,
the moral and intellectual power so co n spicuous

ON D E C I S ION OF C HA R A C T E R . 16 7
in the quality described C ertainly a bright

.
constellation of such examples might be dis

played ; yet it is the mortifying truth that
much the greater number of men pre eminent ,
-
for decision have been such as could not

,
have their o wn serious approbation except ,
through an utter perversion of j udgment o r

abolition of conscience And it is melancholy
.
to contemplate beings represented in o u r

imagination as of adequate power (when they ,
possessed great external means to give effect

to the force of their minds ) for the grandest ,
utility for vindicating each good cause which

,
has languished in a w o r ld a dv er se to all good

‘
ness and for intimidating the collective vices

,
Of a nation or an age to contemplate such

—
beings as becoming themselves the mighty

exemplars giants and champions o f those
, ,
vices ; and it is fearful to follow them in

thought from this region of which n o t all
, ,
the powers and difficulties and inhabitants

together could have subdued their a da ma n t m e
resolution to the S upreme Tribunal where
,
that resolution must tremble and melt away .

E S SAY 1 1 1 .
ON T HE A P P L I C A TI O N O F T HE EP ITH ET R O M A NTI C .
LE T T E R I .
D E A R F R I EN D
MY ,
A THO U G HTF U L judge of sentiments books and , ,
men will Often find reason to regret that the

,
language of censure is so easy and so undefined .
It costs no labour and needs no intelle ct to

, ,
pronounce the words foolish stupid dull , , , ,
odious absurd ridiculous

, , The weakest or .
most uncultivated mind may therefore gratify

its vanity laziness and malice all at once,
, , ,
by a prompt application o f vague condemnatory

words where a wise and liberal man would not
,
feel himself warranted to pronounce without

the most deli berate consideration and where ,
s u ch co n sideration might perhaps result in

applause Thus excellent performances in the
.
,
department o f thin king or of action might be ,
consigned to contempt if there were no better

,
judges on the authority of those who could

,
n o t so much as understand them A man who .
wishes so me decency and sense to prevail in

1 70 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION OF
the circulation Of opinions will do well when

, ,
he hears these decisions of ignorant arrogance ,
to call for a precise explication o f the manner

in which the terms Of the verdict apply to the
subj ect
.
There is a competent number of words for

this use of cheap censure ; but though a man
doubts not he is giving a tolerable proof o f
sagacity in the confident readiness to condemn ,
even with this impotence o f language he may ,
ho wever have an irksome consciousness that

there is wanting to him a certai n dexterity o f
biting expression that would do more mischief
than the words dull stupid and ridiculous
, , , ,
which he is repeating many times to c omp en

sate for the incapacity o f hitting O ff the right
thing at once These vague epithets describe
.
nothing discriminate nothing ; they express no

,
species are as applicable to ten thousand things

,
as to this on e and he has before employed them

,
o n a numberless diversity of subj ects He has .
a fretted feeling of this their ine fficiency ; and

can perceive that censure o r contempt has the
smartest effect when its expressions have a
,
special cast which fits them more peculiarly to

,
the present subj ect than to another ; and he i s

therefore secretly dissatisfied in uttering the
expressions whi c h sa y about it and about it ”
,
but do n o t sa y the thing itself ; which S howing

hi s good will betray his deficient power
, He .
wants words and phrases which would make the

T HE E P ITHET R OMANTI C .
edge of his clumsy meaning fall just where it

o u ght Yes he wants words ; for his meaning
.
,
is sharp he knows if only the words would

, ,
come .
D iscriminat ive censure must be conve y ed ,
either by a marked expression of thought in a

sentence or by an epithet or other term so
,
specifically appropriate that the sin gle word is

,
sufficient to fix the con demnation by the mer e

p re c I SI O n with which it describes But as the .
censurer perhaps cannot succeed in either of

these ways he is willi ng to seek some other
,
resource And he may Oft en find it in cant

.
terms which ha v e a more spitefu l force and

, ,
seem to h ave more particularity of meaning ,
than plain common words while yet nee ding no ,
S hrewdness fo r their application E ach of these

.
is s u pposed t o denominate some o n e class or

character o f scorned or reprobated things but ,
so little defines it that dull malice may venture

,
to assign to the class any thing which it would

desire to throw under the Odium of the deno
mination . S uch words serve for a m ode of
collective execution somewhat like the vessel s
,
which in a season of outrage in a neigh

,
b o u ri n g country received a promiscuous crowd

,
of reputed criminals of unexamined and ,
dubious similari ty and were then sunk in t he

,
flood You cannot w onder that such c o m p en

.
dio n s words of decision which c a n give quick

,
vent to crude impatient ce n sure emit plenty ,

1 72 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION or
of antipathy in a fe w syllables and save the ,
condemner the difficulty o f telling exactly what

he wants to mean S hould have had an exten
,
sive circulation .
P u r i t a n was doubtless welcomed as a term

, ,
most luckily invented or revived when it began ,
to be applied in contempt to a class of men Of

whom the world w a s not worthy Its Odd p e .
c ul i a r i t y gave it almost such an advantage as

that o f a proper name among the lumber o f
common words by which they were described
and reviled ; while yet it meant any thing ,
every thing which the vain world disliked in

,
the devout and conscientious character To .
the more sluggish it saved and to the more ,
loquacious it relieved the labour o f endlessly

”
,
repeating demure rogues sanctimonious

”
, ,
pretenders ,
formal hypocrites .
The abusive faculty Of this word has long

bee n extinct and left it to become a grave a n d
,
almost venerable term in history ; but some

word o f a S imilar cast was indispensably n e c e s
sary to the vulgar o f both kinds The vain .
and malignant S pirit which had decried the

elevated piety o f the P uritans sough t about ,
( as M ilton describes the wicked o n e in P ara

dise ) fo r some convenient form in which it
might again come forth to hiss at zealous C hris
t i a n it y ; and in another lucky moment fell
o n the ter m M et ho di st If there i s n o sen se in

.
the word as n o w applied there seems however

, ,
TH E E P ITH ET R OMANTI C . 1 73
to be a great deal o f aptitude and execution .
It has the advantage o f being comprehensive as

a general denomination and yet opprobrious as
,
a special badge for every thi n g that ignorance

,
and folly may mistake for fanaticism o r that ,
malice may wilfully assign to it Whenever a .
formalist feels it his duty to sneer at those ope

rations o f religion on the passions by which he ,
has never been dis t urbed he has only to call

,
them methodi st i c a l; and though the word be

both so trite an d s o vague he feels as if he had
,
uttered a good pungent thing There is a satiric .
smartness in the word tho u gh th ere be none

,
in the man In default Of keen faculty in the

.
mind it is delightful thus to find something that

,
will do a s well ready bottled up in Odd terms

, .
It is n o t less convenient to a pr o fli ga t e or a ,
coxcomb whose propriety of character is t o be

,
supported by laughing indiscriminately at reli

gion in every form ; the on e to evince that his ,
courage is n o t sapped by conscience the other , ,
to make the best advantage o f his instinct o f

catching at impiety as a compensative substitute
for sense . The word M ethodi sm so readily sets
aside all religion as superstitious folly that they ,
pronounce it with an air as if no more needed

to b e said S uch terms have a pleasant facility
.
o f throwing away the matt er in question to

scorn without any trouble o f making a definite
,
intelligible charge o f extravagance o r delu sion ,
and attempting to prove it .

III politics Ja c obin ism has o f late years been

, , ,
the brand by which all sentiments referring to

the principles o f liberty in a way to censure the
,
measures o f the ascendent party in the S tate ,
have been se n tenced to execration What a .
quantity o f noisy zeal would have been quashed

in dead silence if it had been possible to
,
enforce the substitution o f statements and de

fin i t i o n s for this vulgar senseless but most
, ,
e fficacious term o f reproach What a number .
Of persons have vented the superabundance of

their loyalty or their rancour by means of this
, ,
a n d two or three S imilar words who if by some , ,
sudden lapse o f memory they had lost these

two o r three words and a few names of persons
, ,
would have looked round with an idiotic v a

c a n c y totall
,
y at a loss what was the su bj ec t o f
their anger or their approbation O ne may .
here catch a glimpse of the policy of men o f

a superior class in emplo y ing these terms as
,
much as the vulgar in order to keep them in

,
active currency . If a rude populace whose ,
understandings they despise and do n ot wish ,
t o impro v e could not be excited and kept up

,
to loyal animosity but by means of a clear

,
comprehension o f what they were to oppose ,
and o f the reasons why a political party would

,
have but feeble hold o n popular zeal and ,
might vociferate and intrigue and fret itself

, ,
to nothing But if a single word devised in

.
,
hatred and defamation o f political liberty can ,

TH E E P ITHE T R OMAN TI C . 1 75
be made the symbol o f all that is absurd and

execrable so that the very sound of it shall
,
irritate the passions o f this ignorant and scorned

multitude as dogs have been taught to bark
,
at the name of a neighbouring tyrant it is a ,
commodious expedient for rendering these pas

sions available and subservient to the in terests
of those who despise while they caj ole their , ,
duped auxiliaries The popular passions are

.
the imps and demons o f the political conjuror ,
and he can raise them as other conj urors affect ,
to do theirs by terms o f gibberish

,
*
.
The epithet r oma n t i c has obviously no simi

la r i t y to these words in its coinage but it ,
is considerably like them in the mode and

e ffect o f its application F or ha v i n g p a rtly . ‘
quitted the ran k o f plain epithets it has become ,
a convenient exploding word of more special ,
deriding significance than the other words o f its

order such as wild extravagant visionary It
, , , .
is a standard expression of contemptuous

despatch which you have often heard pro
,
“
n o u n c e d with a very self complacent air that -
,
said Ho w much W iser I am than some peo

”
,
ple by the indolent and inanimate on what

,
It i s cu i ousr within no long t ime a fter thi s w a s

t ha t ,
firs t prin t e d the t er ms j a c obi n a n d j a obi i sm b e c a m e com

, c n
p le t el
y worn o u t a d O bsol e t e
n I t i o t wo.r th a gu s
e s n s
how long t he t er m r a di c a l t o which t he d u t y o f the defii c t

, n
on e s w a s tr a nsfe rred m a y con ti e o f a n y s er v ic e a g ains t

, n u
t he doc t rin e s an d p ersons o f r efo r mis t s .

1 76 ON TH E A PPL I C AT I ON OF
they would n ot acknowledge practicable by ,
t he apes o f prudence o n what they accounted

foolishly adventurous and by the slaves of cus
,
tom o u what startled them as singular The .
class o f absurdities which it denominates is left

so undefined that all the views and sentiments
,
which a narrow cold mind could not like or

understand in an ample and fervid o n e might be ,
referred thither ; and yet the word seems or ,
a ssumes , t o discriminate their character so con

cl u si v e l as to put them out o f argument With
y .
this cast o f sapience and vacancy o f sense it is ,
allowed to depreciate without being account

able ; i t has the licen se o f a parrot to Call ,
n ames without b eing taxed with insolence And .
when any sentiments are decisively stigmatized

with this denomination it would require con
,
si de r a b le courage to attempt their rescue and
defence ; since the imputation which the epithet

fixes on them will pass upon the advocate ; and
he may expect to be himself enrolled among the
heroes o f whom D on ! uixote is from time i m
memorial the commander i n chief At least he
- -
.
may be assign ed to that class which occupies a

dubious frontier space between the rational and
the insane .
If however the suggestions and sketches

, ,
which I had endeavoured to exhibit as i nterest
“
ing and practicable were attempted to be turned
,
”
into vanity and thin air by the enunciation
o f this epithet I would sa y P ray n o w what do
, ,
TH E E P ITH E T R OMANTI C . 1 77
you mean by r oma n t i c ? Have you as you ,
pronounce it any precise conception in your

,
mind which yo u can give in some other words

, ,
and then distinctly fix the charge O r is this a

word which because it is often used in some
, ,
such way as you now use it may b e left to tell ,
its o w n meaning better than the speaker knows

how to explain it ? O r perhaps yo u mean that ,
the notions which I am expressing recall to

your mind as kindred ideas the fantastic images
, ,
of R omance ; and that you cann ot help thinking

o f enchanted castles encounters with giants
, ,
solemn exorcisms fortunate surprises knights

, ,
and wizards Y o u cannot exactly distinguish

.
what the absurdity i n my notions i s but you ,
fancy what it is like Y o u therefore c o ndemn

.
it not by defining its nature and exposing its

,
irrationality but by applying an epithet which

,
arbitrarily assigns it to a class of things o f which

the absur dity stands notorious and unquestioned !
for e v idently the epithet S hould signify a r e
semblance to what is t he prominent folly in the
works o f romance Well then take advantage
.
,
o f this resemblance to bring your censure int o

,
something o f a definite form D elineate pre .
c i sel the chief features o f the absurdity O f t he

y
works of romance and then S how how the same
,
characteristics are flagrant o n my noti o ns o r

schemes I will then ren ounce at on ce all my
.
visionary follies and be henceforward at least a

,
very sober if 1 cannot be a very rational man

, .
1 78 ON TH E A PPL I C ATIO N OF
The great general characteristic o f those

works has been the ascendency o f imagination
over judgment And the description is correct
.
as applied to the books however well endowed

,
with int ellect the authors o f them might be If .
’
they chose for their o wn a n d others amuse
,
ment to dismiss a sound judgment awhile from

,
its o ffi ce to stimulate their imagination to the

,
w ildest extravagances and t o depicture the

,
fantastic career in writing the bo ok might be ,
partly th e same thing as if produced by a mind

i n which sound j u dgment had n o place ; it
would exhibit imagination a c tu a lly ascendent by
’
the writer s voluntary indulgence though n o t ,
n ecessa r il so by the constitution o f his mind

y .
It was a di fferent case if a writer kept his judg

,
m ent active amidst these very extravagances

, ,
with the intention o f S haping and directing them

to some particular end of satire o r sober truth
, .
But however the romances o f the ages o f chi

,
valry and the preceding times were composed ,
u nder neither o f these intellectual conditions .
They were n o t the productions either of men

w ho possessing a sound judgment chose fo r
, ,
m ally t o suspend its exercise in order to riot ,
awhile in scenes o f extravagant fancy only ,
keeping that j udgment so far awake as to r e

tain a contin u al consciousness in what degree
the y wer e extravagant ; o r o f men designi n g t o
give e ffect to truth o r malice u nder the disguise
o f a fantastic exhibition It is evi dent that the
.
T HE E P ITHE T R OMAN T I C .
authors were under the real ascendency Of

imagination ; S O that though they m u st at
,
times have been conscious o f committing great

excesses e t they were o n the whole wonder
, y
fully little sensible O f the enormous ex tr a v a
gance of t heir fictions They could drive o n
their career through m
.
onstrous absurditie s of
description and n arratio n without apparently, , ,
an
y check fro m a sense o f inconsistency i m ,
probability or impossibility ; and with an air

,
a s if they really reckoned on being taken for
the veritable describers of something that could

e xist o r happen within the mundane system .
And the general state o f intellect of t he age

in which they lived seems to have been well
fitted to allow them the utmost lice n se The .
irrationality o f the romancers and of the age , ,
provoked the Observing and powerful mind o f

C ervantes to expose it by means O f a parallel
,
and still more extravagant representation o f

t he prevalence o f imagination over reason ,
drawn in a ludicrous form by which he ren ,
dered the folly palpable even to the sense of

that age F ro m that ti me the deliriu m abated
.
the works which inspirited its ravings have

been blown away beyond the knowledge a n d
curio sity of any but bibliomaniacs ; and the
fabrication o f such is gone among the lost
branches of manufacturing art .
Yet romance w a s in some form to be r e

t a i n e d as indispensable to the craving o f the
,
1 80 ON TH E A P PL I C ATION OF
human mind for something more vivid more ,
elated more wo n derful than the plain realities

, ,
o f li fe as a kind o f mental balloon for mount ,
ing into the air fro m the ground o f ordinary

expe rience T o a fford this extra rational kind
.
-
o f luxury it was r equisite that the fictions

,
should still partake in a limi t ed deg r ee o f the

, ,
q u ali t y Of the earlier romance The writers .
were not to be the dup es o f wild fancy ; they

were not to feign marvels in such a manner
as if they knew no better ; they were n o t
wholly to lose S ight o f the actual system of
things but t o keep within some measures of
,
relation and proportion t o it ; a n d yet they

were required to disregard the strict laws of
verisimilitude in shaping their inventions and ,
to magnify and diversify them with an i n du l

gence o f fancy very considerably beyond the
b o u n ds o f probability Without this their fic
.
tio n s would have lost what w a s regarded a s the

essential quality o f romance .
If therefore the epithet R omantic as n o w

, , ,
employed for description and censure of cha

ra c t er , sentiments and schemes is to be u n
, ,
de rst o o d as expressive o f the quality which

is characteristic o f that class o f fic tions it ,
imputes in substance a great excess of ima

, ,
i n a tio n in proportion to judgment and it

g ;
imputes in particulars such errors as natu
, ,
ra l ly result from that exces s It may be

—
worth while t o look fo r some o f t he practical

v i A N A lb .
exe m plific a t i o n s this unfortunat e di spr o

of
ortion between these t w o powers o f t he

p
mind .
It should first be noted that a defective

judgment is n o t necessarily accompanied by
any thing in the least romantic in disposi t ion ,
S ince the imagination may be as inert as the

judgmen t is weak ; and this double and equ al
deficiency produces mere dulness Bu t it is .
obvious that a weak judgment m a y be asso

c i a t e d with an active strength Of that faculty
which is of such lively power even in childhood ,
in dreams and in the state o f insa n ity

, .
Again there may be an intellect not p osi

,
t i v ely feeble ( supposing it estimated separate ly

“
from the other power) yet pr a c t i c a lly r e du c e d
to debility by a disproportio n ate imagination ,
which continually invades its sphere and ,
takes every thing out of its hands And then .
t h e case is made worse by the u nfortun ate

c i rcumstance that the exercise Of the faculty
,
which should be re pressed is incomparably ,
more easy and delightful than o f that which

,
should be promoted Indeed the term ex er

.
c i se is hardly applicable to the a c ti yi ty o f a

faculty which can be active wi t hout e ffort ,
which is so far from needing to be stimulated

t o its works o f magic t hat it oft en scorns the
,
most serious injunctions t o forbear It i s n o t .
exercise but indulgen ce ; and even mi n ds po s

,
sessing much o f t he p o wer o f understanding ,

1 82 ON TH E A PPL I C ATIO N or
may be little disposed to undergo the labour

of it when amidst the ease o f the deepest i n
,
dolence they can revel in the activity o f a more

animating employment Imagination may be
.
indulged till it usurp an entire ascendency over

the mind and then every subject present ed to
,
that mind will be taken under the action of

imagination instead Of understanding ; ima
,
i n a t i on will throw its colours where the In

g
t el le c t u a l faculty ought to dra w its lines ; will
accumulate metaphors where reason oug ht to
deduce arguments ; images will take the place
o f thoughts and scenes o f disquisitions The
, .
whole mind may become at length something

like a hemisphere o f cloud scenery filled with -
,
an ever moving train of changing melting forms

-
,
o f every colour mingled with rainbows me

, ,
t e o r s and an occasional gleam o f pure su n

,
light all vanishing away the mental like this

, ,
natural imagery when its hour is up without

, ,
leaving any thing behind but the wish to re

cover the vision An d yet the while this
.
, ,
series o f visions may be mistaken for opera

tions o f thought a n d each cloudy i mage be
,
admitted in the place o f a prop osition o r

a reaso n ; o r it may even be mistaken fo r
something sublimer than thinking The i n .
flu e n c e o f this habit o f dwelling on the

beautiful fallacious forms o f imagination will ,
accompany the mind into the most serious

speculations o r rather musings o n the real
, ,
TH E E P ITHE T R OMAN TI C . 83
“
world and what is to be done in it and ex
, ,
e c t e d ; as the image from looking at any daz

p
zl i n g Obj ect still appears before the eye wherever
it turns The vulgar materials that cons t itute
.
the actual economy O f the world will rise up ,
to sight in fictitious form s which the mind ,
cannot disenchant into plain reality ; which

indeed it may hardly suspect o f being illusory ;
and would not be very desirous to reduce to "
the proof if it did F or such a mind is not

.
di sposed to examine with any severity o f i n ,
sp e c t i o n , the real condition of things It is .
content with ignorance bec a use environed ,
with something far mo re delicious than such

knowledge in the paradise which imagination
,
creates In that par adise it walks d elighted

.
,
till some imperious circumstance of real life call

it then ce and gl a dly escapes thither again as
,
soon as the cause of the avocation can be g o t

rid o f There every thin g i s beauti ful and
.
,
noble as could be desir e d to for m the residence

o f angels If a tenth part o f t he felicities
.
that have been enj oyed the great actions ,
that have been perfor med the b e n e fic e n t in ,

»
st i t u t i o n s that have been es t ablished an d the ,
beautiful Obj ects that have been seen in tha t ,
happy region could have been imported into

,
this terrestrial place wh at a delightfu l thing

—
,
my de a r fri en d it would have been each ,
mo rning t o aw ake and look o n such a world

'
O II CC III O I C .
It is n o t strange that a facul ty of which ,
the exercise is so easy and bewitching and ,
the scope infinite s hould Obta in a pr e do mi

,
nance over judgment especially in young ,
persons and i n such a s may have been

,
brought up like Rasselas and his companions

, ,
in great seclusion from the sight and e x per i

ence o f the world Indeed a considerable.
,
vigour of imagination though it be at the

.
,
expense of a frequent predominance over

j uvenile understanding seems necessary in , ,
early life to cause a generous expansion o f

,
the passions by giving the most lively aspect

,
to the Obj ects which must attract them in

order to draw forth into activity the faculties
o f our nature It may also contribute to
.
prepare the mind for the exercise o f that

fai t h which converses with things unseen ,
but converses with the m through the mediu m

o f those ideal forms in which imagination
presents them and in which only a strong
,
imagination can present them i mpr e ssi v elyfi t
T he D ivin e B eing is the only o n e o f th e s e O bj e c t s

which a Chris ti a n woul d wish i t possibl e t o con t e mpla t e
wi thou t the a i d of im a gina tion ; a n d e v ery r efle c tiv m a n e
ha s f l t ho w di ffi cul t i t is t o a ppr eh e n d e v e n t his O bj e c t

e
w i t hou t t h e in t e rv en t ion o f a im a g e I n thinking o f the

n .
t r a ns a c t ions a n d p e rson a g e s O f his t ory t he fin a l e v en t s

,
o f t im e for e t ol d by prop he cy t he s t a t e of goo d m en in

,
a no the r worl d t he sup e ri or r a nks O f in t ellig en t a g en t s

, ,
& c he ha s O ft en ha d occ a sion t o wish his im a gin a t ion much

.
more vivid .
TH E E P ITHE T R OMANTI C . 1 85
And I should deem it the indication o f a

character n o t destined to excel in the liberal ,
the energetic o r the devout qualities if I O b

, ,
served i n the youthfu l age a close confinement

o f thought to bare truth and minute accuracy ,
with an entire aversion to the splendours a m ,
p li fic a ti o n s
,
and excursions of fancy The Opi .
n ion is warranted by instances Of persons so
disting u ished in youth who have become su b

,
sequently very intelligent indeed in a certain ,
w a y but dry cold precise devoted to detail

, , , , ,
and incap able of being carried away o n e mo

ment by any inspiration of the beautiful or
the sublime They seem to have only the bare
.
intellectual mechanism O f the human mind ,
w ithout the a ddition of what is to give i t li fe -
and sentiment They give on e an impression

.
analogous to that O f the leafless trees ob

served in w inter admirable for the distinct
,
exhibition of their branches and minute rami

fic a t i o n s so clearly defined on the sky but ,
destitute of all the green soft luxury o f foli

age which is requisite to make a perfect tree .
And the affections which may exist in such

minds seem to have a bleak abode somewhat ,
like those bare deserted nests which yo u have

often seen in such trees .
If indeed the signs of this exclusive under

, ,
standing indicated also such a n extraordinary

v igour of the faculty as to promise a very
,
great m a thematician or metaphysician o n e ,

1 86 ON TH E A PPL I C AT ION OF
would perhaps be content to fo rego some o f

the properties which for m a complete mind ,
for the sake of this pre eminence o f o n e o f its

-
endowments ; even though the person were to

be so defectiv e in sentiment and fancy that , ,
as the story goes Of an eminent m a t hema

ti c i an
, he could read through a most ani
mated and splendid epic poem and o n being ,
“
asked what he thought of it gravely reply
What does it prove ? ”
,
But the want o f

,
imagination is never an evidence and per ,
haps but rarely a concomitant of superior ,
understanding .
Imagin a tion may be allowed the ascendency

in early youth ; the case should be reversed in
mature life ; and if it is n ot a man may c on
,
sider his mind either as not the most happily

constructed or as un wisely disciplined
, The .
latter indeed is probably true in e v ery such

instance .
TH E E P ITH E T R OMAN TI C . 1 87
L E T T E R II .
T HE ascendency of imagination ope rates in

various modes ; I will endeavour to dist inguish
those which may justly be called romantic .
The extravagance of imagination in romance

has very much consisted in the display o f a
destiny and course of life totally unlike the
common condition of mankind And you may .
have Observed in living individuals that o n e ,
o f the e f fects sometimes produced by the pre

dominance of this faculty is a persuasion i n
,
’
a person s own mind that he i s born to some
peculiar and extraordinary destiny while yet ,
there are no extraordinary indications in the

person o r his circumstances There w a s some
.
thing rational i n the early presentiment which

Some distinguished men have entertained of
their future career Whe n a celebrated g ene
.
r a l o f t he present times exclaimed a fter

p er ,
forming the common military exercise as o n e ,
O f a company of j uvenile volu n teers I shall ,
be a commander i n -
a sagacio u s O b
server o f the signs o f t alents y et but partially
developed , mi ght have t hought it in deed a
it
Rel at d O f M or au
e e .
88 ON T HE A PPL I C AT ION OF
rather sanguine but probably n ot a quite a b

,
surd anticipation An elder and intelligent

.
’
associate o f M ilton s youth might without much
difficulty have believed himself listening t o an
oracle when a spirit which was shaping in
,
such gigantic proportions avowed to him a

confidence o f being destined to produce a work
,
which Should distinguish the n ation and the

age The Opening O f uncommon faculties may
.
be sometimes inspirited by such anticipations ;

which the you n g genius may be allowed to
express perhaps as a stimulus encouraged to
,
indulge But in most instances these ma gn ifi

.
’
cent presumptions form in the observer s eye, ,
a ludicrous contrast with the situation and a p

parent abilities of the person who entertains
them And in the event how few such anti
.
,
c i a t i o n s have been proved the genuine prompt

p
ings o f an extraordinary mind .
The visionary presump t ion of a peculiar des

tiny is entertained i n more forms than that
whic h implies a confidence o f possessing u n
common talent It is Often the flattering self
.
assurance simply of a life o f singular felicity .
The captive of fancy fondly imagines his pro

spect o f life as a delicious vale where from ,
each side every stream Of pleasur e is to flo w

down to his feet ; and while it cannot but be
seen that innumerable evils do harass other
human beings some mighty spell is to protect
,
him against them all He takes no deliberate

.
TH E E P I T H ET R OMANTI C . 1 89
account o f what is inevitable in the lot O f

humanity of the sober probabilities o f his own
,
situation or of any principles in the consti

,
t u ti o n o f his mind which are perhaps very

exactly calculated to frustrate the anticipation
and the scheme o f happiness .
If this excessive imagination is combined with

tendencies to a ffection it makes a person sen
,
t i men t a lly romantic With

. a great a n d what ,
might in a mind of finer elements be a j ust

, ,
contempt o f the ordinary rate of attachments ,
both in friendship and love he indulges a most ,
assured confidence that his peculiar lo t is to

realize all the wonders of generous virtuous , ,
noble unalienable friendship or o f enraptured

, , ,
uninterrupted and unextinguishable love that

, ,
the inebriation of fiction and poetry ever sung ;

w hile perhaps a shrewd indi fferent Observer
can descry nothing in the horoscope o r the ,
C haracter or the actual circumstances of the

,
man or in the qualities of the human crea

,
tures that he adores or in the nature of his

,
devotion to promise an elevation o r perma

,
n en c e o f felicity beyond the destiny of com

mon mortals .
If a passion fo r variety and novelty a c c o m

a n ie s this extravagant imaginatio it will
p n ,
exclude from its bold sketches o f future life

every thing like confined regularity and com ,
mon plodding occupations It will suggest that

.
I was born for an adventurer whose story will ,

on e day be a wonde r o f the world P erhaps .
I am to be an universal traveller ; and the r e

is n ot on the globe a grand city or ruin or , ,
volcano or cataract but I must se e it D ebi

, ,
.
lit y o f constitution deficiency of means innu

, ,
m e ra b le perils unkn own languages oppressive

, ,
toils extinguished curiosity worn ou t fortitude

, , ,
failing health a n d the shortness o f life are very

, ,
possibl y all left o u t o f the a cco u nt .
If there is in the disposition a love o f what

is called glory and an idolatry o f those capa
,
cions and intrepid S pirits o n e o f which ha s

often in a portento u s crisis decided by an
, , ,
admirable series o f exertions o r by o n e grand ,
exploit o f intelligence and valour the de s ,
tiny o f armies and of empires a predominant ,
imagination may be led to revel amidst the

splendours of military achievement and to ,
flatter the man that he to o is to be a hero ,
a great co mmander .
When a mind under this influence recurs

to precedents as a foundation and a warrant
o f its expectations they are never the usual
, ,
b u t always the extraordinary examples that ,
are contemplated An observer of t he ordi

.
nary instances o f friendship is perhaps heard

to assert that the sentiment is su fficiently
,
languid in general to admit o f a n almost u n

qualified self interest of absence without pain
-
, ,
and o f ultimate indi fference Well SO let it be ;

.
,
D amon and P ythia s were friends o f a di fferent

order a n d our friendship is to be like theirs

,
O r if the subj ect o f musing and hope is the

union i n which love commonly r esults it may ,
be true and obvious enough that the gene

r ali t y of instances would not seem to tell of
m ore than a mediocrity o f happiness in this
relation ; but a vi sionary person does not li v e
w ithin the sa i ne world with these examples
The few instances which have been recorded

o f tender a n d n ever dyin g enthusiasm
-
togethe r ,
with the nu merous ones which romance and

poetry have c reated form the class to which
,
he belongs and fro m whose e n chanting his

,
tory exceptin g their misfortunes he r e asons t o

, ,
hi s o w n future experience S o too the man

.
,
whose fancy anticipates political or marti al dis

tin ction allo ws his tho ughts to revert conti
,
n u al ly to those n ames which a rare co n junction

o f talents and circ u mstan c es has elevated into
fame ; forgetting that many thousands o f men O f

great ability have died in at least comparative
Obscurity for want o f situa tions in which t o
,
display themselves ; and never su specting it

possible that his own abilities a re n o t com
petent to any thi n g great if some extra ,
o r dinary event we re just now to place him in

the most opportune concurrence of c i r c u m f
stanc e s That there has b een o n e very signal

.
man to a millio n more avails to the pr esu m p

,
tion that he shall be a si gn al man than ther e ,
having been a million to o n e signal man infer s ,

ON T HE A PPL I C ATION OF
a probabi lity of his remaining one of the mul

t i t u de .
Yo u will generally observe that persons thus

,
g self appointed o f either se x to be exceptions

-
, ,
to the usual lot o f humanity endeavour at a ,
kind o f consistency Of character by a great ,
aversion to the common modes of action and

language and a habitual affectation o f some
,
thi n g extraordinary They will perhaps dis

.
dain regular hours punctuality to engagements

, ,
usual dresses a homely diction a n d comm on

, ,
forms O f transacting business ; this you are to

regard as the impulse of a spirit whose high
vocation authorizes it to renounce all S ign s O f
relation to vulgar minds .
The epithet romantic then may be justly

applied to those presumptions (if entertained
after the childish o r very youthfu l age ) of a
peculiarly happy o r important destiny in life
?
,
which are n ot clearly founded o n certain pal

a bl e distinctions o f character o r situation or
p ,
w hich greatly exceed the sober prognostics a f

forded by those distinction s It S hould be
—
Observed here that wi shes merel y do n o t con

st i t u t e a char acter romantic A person may .
sometimes let his mind wander into vain wishes

for all the fine things o n earth and yet be too ,
sober to expect any o f them In this case .
however he w ill often check and reproach

himself for the folly o f indulging in such
m ental dissoluteness .
TH E E P I TH ET R OMANTI C . 93
The absurdity o f such a n ticipations consists

simply in the improbability Of their being
realized and not In their Obj ects being u n c o n
,
genial with the human mind ; but another

e ffect of the predominance of imagination may
be a disposition to form schemes or indulge
expectations essentially incongruous with the
nature o f man P erhaps however you will
.
sa
y
, What is that nature ? I s it not a mere
passive thing variable almost to infinity a c
, ,
cording to climate to institutions and to the , ,
di fferent ages O f ti m e ? E ven taking it in a

civilized state what relation is there between
,
such a form of human nat u re as that displayed

at S parta a n d for instance the modern society
, , ,
denominated ! uakers o r the M oravian F rater ,
n it ? And how can w ascertain what is

y e
congenial with it or not unless itself were first ,
ascertained ? Allow me to sa y that I speak o f ,
human nature in its most general principles

only as social self interested inclined to the
, ,
-
,
wrong slow to improve passing through several

, ,
states of capacity and feeling in the successive

periods O f life and the few other such perma
,
nent dis t inctions Any O f thes e distinctions

.
may vanish from the sight of a visionary mind ,
while forming for itself or for others such

, ,
schemes a s could have spr u ng only from an

imagination beco me wayward through it s n u
controlled power and its victory over sober ,
reason I remember for example a person

.
, , ,
0
1 94 ON TH E A PPL I C A T ION OF
very young I confess who was so enchanted

,
with the stories o f G regory L opez and one ,
o r two more pious hermits as almost to form

,
the resolution to betake himself to some wilder

ness and live as G regory did At any time the .
,
very word her mi t was enough to transport him ,
’
like the witch s broomstick to the solitary hut, ,
which w a s delightfully surrounded by S hady

solemn groves mossy rocks crystal stream s
, , ,
and gardens of radishes While this fancy

.
laste d he forgot the most Obvious of all facts

, ,
that man is not made for habitual solitude nor ,
can endure it without misery except when ,
transformed into a genuine superstitious ascetic ;

— questionable whether ev e n then *
.
C ontrary to human nature is the proper de ,
scription of those theories O f education and ,
those fla t t e r i e s of parental hope which presume ,
t hat young people in general may be m atured
to eminent wisdom and adorned with the uni

,
v e r sa l
i ty of noble attainments by the period ,
at which in fact the intellectual faculty is but

beginning to Operate with any thing like clear
ness and sustained force Because some .
L op e z ind ee d w a s oft en visit e d by pious p ersons who

sough t hi s ins truc tions t his w a s a gre a t mo difica t ion o f t he
lon elin e ss a n d o f the t ri al involve d in enduring i t ; b u t my
,
her m i t w a s fond of the i dea o f a n uninh a bi t ed isl a n d o of , r
a wil dern ess so deep t ha t t he s e goo d p eople would n o t

ha v e b e en a bl e t o com e a t him wi thout a mor e formi da bl
, e
p ilgrim a g e th a n w a s e ve r yet m a de for the s a k e of O b ta ining

ins t ruc tion .
individuals remarkable exceptions to the na

,
“
tural character o f youth have in their very ,
ch i ldhood a dvanced beyond the youthful gi ddi

ness a n d debility of reason and have displayed
, , ,
at the age perhaps of twenty a wo n derful a s ,
se mbl a e o f all the s t ro n g and all the graceful

g
endowments it therefore only needs a proper
,
system o f education to make other young

people ( at least those O f my family t he parent
, ,
thinks ) be no longer what nature has always

,
made yout h to be L et this be adopted a n d

.
,
we shall se e multitudes at that age p o sse ssm g

the j udgment of sages or the diversified a c ,
u i r e m en t s and graces o f all accomplished gen

q
-
t le m e n and ladies An d what pray are the

.
, ,
beings which are to become by the discipline ,
of ten or a dozen years such finished example s ,
o f various excellence N ot surely these boys , ,
here that love nothing so much as tops

, ,
marbles and petty mischief and t hose girls

,
—
,
that have yet attained but fe w ideas beyond the

dressing of dolls Yes even these ! ,
The same charge of being unadapted to m a n ,
falls on the speculations of those philosophers

2 s
and philanthropists who have eloquently dis ,
played the happiness and asserted the pra o ,
ti c a b i l
i ty Of something near an eq u ality o f
,
property and modes of life throughout society .
Those who really anticipated or proj ected the

practical trial of the system must have for ,
gotten o u what planet those apartments were

0 2
1 96 ON T HE A PPL I C AT I ON OF
built o r those arbours were growing in which

, ,
they were favoured with such vi sions F or in .
these visions they beheld the ambition o f one

part o f the inhabitants the craft or audacity
,
o f another, the avarice of a nother the stupidity ,
o r indolence o f another and the selfishness of

,
almost all as mere adventitious faults super

, ,
induced on the character of the species and ,
instantly flying O ff at the approach of better

institutions which shall prove to the confusion
, ,
o f all the calumniators of human nature that ,
n othing is so congenial to it as industry ,
m oderation and disinterestedness

, It is at the .
same time but just to acknowledge that many ,
o f them have admi t ted the necessity of such a
grand transformation as to make man another

being p r ev i ously to the adoption o f the system .
This is all very well ! when the proper race of

men shall come from Utopia the system and ,
polity may very properly come along with them

o r these sketches o f it prepared fo r them by
,
us may be carefully preserved here in volumes

, ,
more precious than those of the S ibyls against ,
their arrival Till then the sober observers

.
,
o f the human character will read these beau
tiful theories as romances o ffering the fairest ,
game for sarcasm in their splenetic hours ,
when they are disgusted with human nature ,
and infu sing melancholy in their benevolent

ones when they look o n i t with a com miserating
,
an d almost desponding sentiment .

TH E E P ITHET R OMANTI C . 1 97
The character o f the age of chivalry presents

itself conspicuously among this class of i llustra
tions O ne o f its most prominent distinctions
.
w a s an immense incongruity with the simplest

,
principles of human nature Fo r instance in

.
,
the concern o f love ! a generous young man

became attached to an interesting young
woman interesting as he believed from having
—
,
once seen her ; for probably he ne ver heard

her speak His heart would naturally prompt
.
him to seek access to the Obj ect whose society ,
it told him would make him happy ; and if in a

,
great measure debarred from that society he ,
would surrender himself to the melting mood

Of the passion in the musings of pensive retire
,
ment . But this was not the w a y He must .
exile himself for successive years from her S O

c i e t y and vicinity and every soft indulgence
,
o f feeling and rush boldly into all sorts Of

,
hardships and perils deeming no misfortune so

,
great as not to find constant occasions of

hazarding his life among the roughest foes or , ,
if he could find o r fancy them the strangest

’
monsters ; and all this not as the alleviation

,
O f despair but as the courtship o f hope And

, .
when he w a s at length betrayed to flatter

himself that such a probation through every ,
kind of patience and danger m ight enti t le hi m

,
to throw his trophies and himself at her impe

rial feet it was very possible she might be
,
affronted at hi s having presumed to be still

1 98 ON TH E A PPL I C AT ION or
alive It is unnecessary to refer to the other

.
parts o f the institution o f chivalry the whole ,
system o f which would see m more adapted

to any race of beings exhibited in the Arabian
N ights or to any still wilder creation o f fancy
, ,
than to a community o f creatures appointed

to live by cultivating the soil anxious to avoid
,
pain and trouble seeking the reciprocation of

,
affection on the easiest ter ms and nearest to ,
happiness in regular pursuits and quiet do

m e sti c life .
O ne cannot help reflecting here how amaz ,
i n gly accommodating this human nature has

been to all institutions but wise and good
ones ; insomuch that an order o f life and
manners conceived in the wildest deviation
,
from all plain sense and native instinct could ,
be practically adopted by some o f those who

,
had rank and courage enough and adored ,
and envied by the rest o f m ankind S till the .

,
genuine tendencies o f n ature have survived

the strange but transient sophistications of
time and remain the same after the age of
,
chivalry is gone far toward that oblivion to ,
which you will not fail to wish that many

other institutions might speedily follow it .
F orgive the prolixity o f these illustrations

intended to S how that schemes and sp e c u
,
la t i o n s respecting the interests either o f an

individual o r o f society which are i n c o n
,
sistent with the natural constitution o f man ,

TH E E P ITHE T R OMANTI C . 99
may except where it should be reasonable to

,
expect some supernatural intervention be de ,
nominated romantic .
The tendency to this species of romance

’
,
m a y be caused o r very greatly promoted by

, ,
an exclusive taste for what is g r a n d a disease ,
with which some few minds are affected They .
have no pleasure in contemplating the syste m

of things as the C reator has ordered it a ,
combination o f great and little in which the ,
great is much more dependent on the little ,
than the little o n the great The y cut out .
the grand obj ects to dispose them into a ,
world of their own All the images in their .
intellectual scene must be colossal and moun

ta i n o u s They are constantly seeking what
.
is animated into heroics what is expanded ,
into immensity what is elevated above the

,
stars . But for great empires great battles , ,
great enterprises great convulsions great ge

, ,
n i u se s great temples
, great rivers there would , ,
be nothing worth naming in this part o f the

creation *
All that belongs to connexion
.
,
gradation har m ony regularity and utility

, , , ,
is thrown out of sight behind these forms o f

vastness The influence of this exclusive taste
.
.Iu st a s t o e mploy a humbl e comp a rison a vo t a ry o f

, ,
fa shion a ft er v isi ting a crow de d public pla c e which ha p

,
p en ed a t tha t t im e n o t t o b e gr a c e d by the pr e s enc e o f m a ny

p e o pl e o f cons equ e nc e t ell s you wi th a n a ffe c te d t o n e
”
, , ,
T h ere w a s n o t a cre a t ur e the r e .

2 00 ON TH E A P P L I C ATI ON OF
will reach into the system of proj ects and ex

ec t a t i o n s The man will wish to summon
p .
the world to throw aside i t s tame accustomed

pursuits and adopt at once more m agnificent
,
views and Obj ects and will be indignant at

,
mankind th at they cannot or will not be

sublime . Impatient of little mean s and slow
processes he will wish for violent transitions
,
and entirel y new institutions He will perhaps .
determine to set men the example of perform

i n g something great in some ill judged sa n ,
-
guine proj ect in wh i ch he will fail ; and after ,
bein g ridiculed by society both for the scheme ,
and its catastrophe m a y probably abandon all

,
the activities of life and become a misanthrope

,
the r est o f his days At any rate he will dis

.
,
dain all labour to perform well in little or

moderate things when fate has frowned on
,
his higher ambitio n .
LE TTER III .
O NE the most obvious distinctions of the

of
works o f romance is an utte r violation o f all ,
f
the relations between ends and means S ome .
times such ends are proposed as seem quite

TH E E P ITHE T R OMA NT I C . 2 01
dissevered from means inasmuch as there are

,
scarcely any supposable means on earth to

accomplish them ! but no matter ; if we cann ot
ri de w e must swim if we cannot swim we
,
must fly ; the obj ect is e ffected by a mere

poetical omni potence that wills it And very .
often practi cable Objects are attained by means

the m o st fa n t a st i c improbable or inadequate ;
/
, ,
so that there is scarcely any resemblance b e

twee n the method i n which they are a c c om
p li she d by the dexterity o f fiction and that ,
which we are condemned to follow if we wi ll

attempt the same things in the actual eco
n o m y of the world . N ow when you se e this
,
absurdity of imagination prevailing in the cal

c ul a ti o n s o f real life
, you may justly apply the
epithet romantic — .
Indeed a strong and habitually indulged

imagination may be absorbed in the end ,
if it be not a concern o f absolute imme di ate

urgency as for a while quite to forget the
,
process of attainment . That power has i n

c a n t a t i o n s to dissolve the rigid laws o f time
and distance and place a man in something

‘
so like the presence of hi s obj ect as to create ,
the temporary hallucination o f an ideal pos

session ; and it is hard when occupying the
,
verge O f P aradise to be flung far back in order

,
to find or make a path to it with the S low ,
and toilsome steps of reality In the luxury .
O f promising himself that what he wishes will

by some means take place at some time he ,
forgets that he is advancing no nearer to i t

except on the wise and patient calculation
that he must by the simple fact O f growing
,
older be coming somewhat nearer to every

,
event that is yet to happen to him He is .
like a traveller who amidst his indolent

, ,
musings in some soft bower where he has sa t ,
do wn to be shaded a little while from the

rays of noon falls asleep and dreams he is
, ,
in the midst of all the endearments o f home ,
insensible that there are many hills and dales

for him yet to traverse But the traveller will
.
awake ; so too will ou r other dreamer ; and if

he has the smallest capacity of j u st reflection
he will regret to have wasted in reveries the
time which ought to have been devoted to
practical exertions .
But even though reminded O f the necessity

o f intervening means the man o f imagination
,
will often be tempted to violate their relation

with ends by permitting himself to dwell on
,
those happy c a su a lt i es which the prolific so r

,
cery o f his mind will promptly figure to him as

the very things if they would but occur to
, ,
accomplish his wishes at once without the toil ,
o f a sober process If they would occur and

.
—
things as strange might and do happen ! he

'
reads in t he n ew sp a pe r s that an estate O f ten

thousand per annum w a s lately a djudged to a
man who was working o n the road He ha s .
ev en heard of people dreamin g that in such a

place something valuable was concealed ; and
that on searching or digging that place they
, ,
fo u nd an O ld earthen pot full of gold and silver ,
p ieces of the times of g ood ! ing C harles the

M artyr M r B w a s travelling by the mail
. . .
coach in which he met with a most interesting

,
young lady whom he had never seen before ;

,
they were mutually delighted and wer e married ,
in a few weeks M r C a man of great merit . . .

,
in Obscurity was walking across a field when

,
L ord D in chase of a fox leaped over the

.
, ,
hedge and fell o ff his horse into a ditch M r

,
. .
C with the utmost alacrit y and kind solicitude

.
helped his lordship out of the ditch and reco ,
vered for him his escaped horse T he c o n se .

-
e n c e was inevitable ; his lordship superior to

q u ,
the pride o f being mortified to have been seen

in a condition so unlucky for giving the i m
pression o f nobility commenced a friendship ,
with M r C and introduced him into honourable

. .
society a n d the road to fortune A very ancient .
maiden lady of a large fortune happening to be

embarrassed in a crowd a young clergyman ,
”
o ffered her his arm and politely attended her ,
hom e ; this attention so captivated her that she ,
bequeathed and soon after left hi m her whole

estate though she had many poor relations
— .
That class o f fictitious works called n ov els ,
tho ugh much more like real life than the r o

m a n c e s which preceded i s yet full o f these ,
lucky incidents and adventures which are intro ,
du c e d as the chief means toward the ultimate

success A young man without fortune for
.
, ,
instance is precluded from making his addresses

,
to a young female i n a superior situation whom ,
he believes not indi fferent to him until he can ,
approach her with such worldly advantages as it

might not be imprudent o r degrading for her to
cast a look upon No w ho w is this to be a c
.
complished — Why I suppose by the exertion

, ,
of his talents in some practicable and respectable

department ; and perhaps the lady besides will , ,
generously and S pontaneously condescend to

abdicate from partiality to him some of the
, ,
trappings and luxuries of rank You really .
suppose this is the plan ? I am sorry you have

so much less genius than a novel writer This -
.
young man has an uncle who has been absent ,
many years nobody knew where except the

, ,
’
young man s lucky stars D u ring his absence .
,
the Old uncle has made a large fortune with ,
which he returns to his native land at a time ,
most opportune for every one but a highway

man who attacking him in a road through a
, ,
wood i s frightened away by the young hero

, ,
who happens to come there at the instant to ,
rescue and recognise his uncle and to b e in ,
return recogn ised and made the heir to as many

thousands as the lady or her family could wish .
N ow what is the intended impression O f all this

’
on the reader s mind ? What if he certainly
TH E E P ITH ET R OMANTI C . 2 05
ha v e no uncle in any foreign fortune making -
country ? But there are rich old gentlemen

w ho are uncles to nobody Is our novel reader
.
-
to reckon on it as a likely and a desir a ble

chance that o n e of these just after returning
, ,
from the Indies with a ship load of wealth shall -

,
be set upon by a highwaym an ; and to take it

for certain that in that case he the novel reader ,
-
,
shall have the luck to come t o the very spot

in the nick of time to send the dastard robber
,
galloping o ff to make an instant and entire

,
’
seizure of the old gentleman s affections find ,
himself constrained to go and take a present

share of the opulence and the heirship of the ,
whole and have his patron to j oi n hi s plea di ng

,
that Amelia o r Alicia or C ecilia ( as t he case

, , ,
-
may b e ) may now be w illin g and be permitted

,
’
to favour his a ddresses ? O ne s indignation is
excited at the i mmoral tendency o f such lessons
to young readers who are thus taught to under
,
value and rej ect a ll sober regular plans for com

passing an obj ect and to muse o n improbabilities
,
till they become foolish enough to expect them ;

thus betrayed as an inevitable consequence
, ,
into o n e folly more that of being melancholy

,
when they find they may expect them in m m .
It is unpardonable that these pretended i n

st r u c t or s by example should thus explode the
calculations and exert ions of manly resolution ,
destroy the connexion between ends and means ,
and make the rewards O f virtue so dependent o n

chance that if the reader does not either regard

,
the whole fable with contempt o r promise hi m

,
self he S hall receive the favours O f fortune in

s ome similar w a he must close the book with
y ,
the conviction that he may hang o r drown him

self as soon as he pleases ; that is to say unless ,
he has learnt from some other source a better

morality and religion than these books will ever
teach him .
Another deception in respe ct to means is the ,
facility with which fancy passes along the train

of them and reckons to their ultimate e ffect at
,
a glance without resting at the successive

,
stages , and considering the labours and hazards

o f the protrac ed slow process from each point
t
to the next If a given number of years are
I allowed r e q ui sIt e for the accomplishment o f an
Obj ect the romantic mind vaults from one last
,
day o f D ecember to another and seizes at once

,
the whole product o f all the intermediate days ,
without condescending t o recollect that the sun

never shone yet o n three hundred and sixty fiv e -
days at once and that they must be slowly told

,
and laboured one by o n e If a favourite plan is

.
to be accomplished by means of a certain large

amount o f property which is to be pro duc ed
,
from what is at present a very small o n e the ,
calculations o f a sanguine mind c a n change shil

lings into guineas and guineas into hundreds
,
o f pounds a thousand times faster than in the

, ,
actual experiment those lazy S hilli n gs and

,
guineas can be compelled to mount t o these

higher deno minations of value You remember .
the noble calculation of Alnaschar o n his basket

of earthenware which was so soon to obtain
,
’
him the S ultan s daughter .
Where imagination is not delusive enough to

e mbody future casualties as e ffective means it ,
may yet represent very inadequate means as

competent In a well balanced mind no con
.
-
,
- '
c e ti o n will grow into a favourite purpose

p ,
unaccompanied by a process of the j u dgment ,
deciding its practicability by an estimate o f

the means ; in a mind under the ascendency
o f imagination this is a subordinate after task -
.
By the time that this comes to be considered ,
the proj ector is t o o much enamoured o fn n end

that is deemed to be great to abandon it b e
,
cause the means are suspected to be little But .
then they must cease to app ea r little for there

must be an apparent proportion between the
means and the end . Well trust the whole
,
concern to the plastic faculty and presently ,
every insignificant p a rticle of instrumentality ,
and every petty contrivance for its management ,
will swell into magnitude ; pigmies and L illi

u t i a n s with their tiny arrows will soon grow
p
up into giants wielding spears ; and the di tfi
dent consciousness which w a s at first somewhat
afraid to measure the plan as to its means o f
,
execution against the Obj ect will give place to

, ,
a generous scorn o f the timidity o f doubting .

The mind will most ingeniously place the appa

ratus between its eye and the Obj ect at a
distance and be deluded by the false position
,
which makes the one look as large as the

other .
The consideration o f the deceptive calcula

tions on the e ffect o f insufficient means would ,
lead to a wide variety o f particulars ; I will

only touch slightly on a few V arious proj ects .
of a ben evolen t order would come under this

charge D id you ever listen to the discussion
.
o f plans for the civilization o f barbarous nations
without the intervention of conquest ? I have ,
*
with the most sceptical ki n d of interest That .
very many millions of the species should form

only a brutal adjunct to civilized and enlightened
man is a disastrous thing notwithstanding the
, ,
whimsical attempts of some ingenious m en to

represent the state of roving savages as prefer
‘
able to every o the r c o n di t i o n o f li fe ; a state

for which no doub t they would have been
, ,
willing if they could have the requisite physical

,
seasoning for it to abandon their fame and

,
proud refinements B u t where are the means

.
t o reclaim these wretched beings into the civi

liz e d family Of m a n ? A few examples indeed
are found in history o f barbarous tribes being
, ,
formed into well ordered and considerably

-
I her e pl a c e o u t o f vi ew tha t religion by whi ch O mn i p o

t en c e will a t l eng t h t ra nsfor m the worl d .
TH E E P ITHE T R OMANTI C . 2 09
enlightened states by o n e man who began the

,
attempt without any power but that o f p e rsu a

sion and perhaps delusion
, . There are other
instances o f the success Obtained by a small
,
combination of men employi n g the same means ;

as in the great undertaking o f the Jesuits in
S outh America . But have not these moral
phenomena been far too fe w to be made a
standard for the spec u lations of sob er men ?
And have they n o t also come to us with t o o

little explan ation to illustrate a n y general prin
c i p le s ? To me it appears extremely di ffic ult
to comprehend how the means recorded by ,
historians t o have been employed by some of

the unarmed civilizers could have produced SO
,
g r eat an e ffect In observing the half civilized

.
-
condition of a large part o f the population of

these more improved countries and in reading
,
what traveller s describe o f the state and dispo

si t i o n s of the various orders o f savages it would,
seem a presumption unwarranted by any thing

we ever sa w of the powers o f the human mind
to suppose that any man o r any ten men now
,
on earth i f landed and left on a savage coast

, ,
would be able to transform a number of stupid

or ferocious tribes into a community o f mild
intelligence and regular industry We are
.
therefore led to believe that the few u n a c c o u n t

able instances conspicuous i n the history o f the
world of the success o f one or a few men in
,
’
this work must have been the result of such a
,
combination o f favourable circumstances C O ,
operatin g with their genius and perseverance ,
as no other man can hope to experience S uch .
’
events seem like Joshua s arresting the sun and
moon things that have been done but can be
, ,
done no more P ray which of you I should

.
, ,
sa y
,
could expect to imitate with success if ,
indeed he could think it right to try the de ,
c e pt i o n o f M anco C apac and awe a wild multi

,
tude in t o order by something analogous to a

pretended commission from the su n ?
What
would be your first expedient in the attempt
to substitute that regularity and constraint
which they hate fo r that lawless liberty which
,
they love ? How could yo u reduce them to

be conscious o r incite them to be proud o f
, ,
those wants for being subj ect to which they

,
would regard you as their inferiors ; wants o f

which unless they could comprehend the r e
,
fin e m e n t they must necessarily despise the

,
debility ? By what magic are yo u to render

visible and palpable any part o f the world Of
science o r o f abstraction t o beings w ho have ,
hardly words t o denominate even their sensa

tions And by what concentrated force o f all
kinds o f magic t ogether that E gypt o r C haldea
,
ever pretended are yo u to introduce humanity

,
and refinement am ong such creatures as the

N orthern Indians described by M r Hearne ?
, .
If an animated young philanthropist still ze a

lo u sly maintained that i t might be done I ,
TH E E P ITH E T R OMANTI C . 11
should be amused to think ho w that warm ima

g i n a t i o n would be quelled if he were
, obliged to
make the experi ment It is easy for him to be
.
romantic while enlivened by the intercourse o f

culti vated society while reading o f the contri
,
vances and the patience o f ancient legislators ,
o r while infected with the enthusiasm of poetry .
He feels as if he could be the moral conqueror

”
o f a continent . He becomes a Hercules amidst
imaginary labours ; he traverses untired while ,
in his room wide tracts of the wildernes s; he

,
surrounds himself with savage men without ,
either trembling o r revolting at their aspects

o r fierce exclamations or the proudly exhibited
,
and vaunted trophies of their sanguinary ex

p l o it s ; he makes eloquent speeches t o t he m -
~
n o t knowing a word o f their language which ,
language if he did know it he would find a

, ,
wretched vehicle for the humblest o f his mean

ings ; they listen with the deepest attention ,
are convinced o f the necessity O f adopting

new ha bits of life and speedily soften into
,
human ity and brighten into wisdom But he .
would become sober enough if compelled to ,
travel half a thousand miles through the desert ,
o r over the snow with some of these subj ects

,
o f his lectures and legislation ; to accompany

them in a hunting excursion ; to choose in a
stormy night between exposure in the open air
and the smoke and grossness of their cabins ;
to Observe the intellectual fa culty narrowed
P 2
almost to a point limited to a scanty number

,
o f the meanest class of ideas ; to find by r e

e a t e d experiments that hi s kind o f ideas could
p
neither reach their understanding nor excite
their curiosity ; to see the ravenous appetite
o f wolves succeeded fo r a seas on by a stupe
faction insensible even to the few interests

which kindle the ardour of a savage ; to witness
loathsome habits occasionally diversified by abo
minable ceremonies ; o r to be fo r once the
spectator of some o f the circumstances attendant
on the wars of savages .
But there are m any more familiar illustrations

o f the extravagant estimate o f means O ne is .
,
the expectatio n o f far too much from mere

direct instruction This is indeed so general
.
,
that it will hardly be denominated romantic ,
except in the most excessive instances O b .
serve it however a moment in the concern

, ,
of education . N othing seems more evident

than the influence o f external circumstances ,
distinct from the regular discipline of the parent

or tutor in forming the character o f youth
, .
N othing again seems more evident than that

, ,
direct instruction though an useful c o operator

,
-
with the influence of these circumstances when

they are auspicious is a feeble counteractor if
,
they be malignant And yet this mere instru o

.
tion is enou gh in the account of thousands o f

,
parents to lead the youth to wisdom and hap

,
i n e ss ; even that very youth who m the united

p
TH E E P ITH ET R O MAN TI C . 2 13
influence of almost all t hings else which he is

e x posed to see and hear and participate is
, , ,
drawin g with the unrelaxing gr a sp of a fiend

, ,
to destr u ction .
A too sanguine opinion of the efficacy o f

instruction has sometimes possessed those who
,
teach from the pulpit Till the dispensations .
o f a better age shall be opened on the world ,
the measure of e ffect which may re asonably

be expected from preaching is to be deter mined ,
by a View o f the visible e ffec t s which are a o

t u al ly produced o n congregations from week to
week ; an d this Vi ew is far from flattering .
O ne might appeal to preachers in general

What striki n g improvements are apparent i n
“
your societies ? When you inculcate charity
on the S unday do the misers in your cong re
,
a t i o n s liberally open their chests and purses

g
to the distressed on M onday ?
M ight I not
ask as well whether the stones and trees really
,
did move at the voice o f O rpheus After yo u

have unveiled even the scenes of eternity to the
gay and frivolous do you find in more than
,
some rare instances a dignified seriousness take

place o f their follies ?
What is the e ffect on ,
the splendid sumptuous and fashionable pro

, ,
fe sso r s O f C hristianity o f your inculcation (if

,
indeed yo u venture it ) o f that sole mn i n t e r di c

tion of their habit s Be n o t confor med to
”
,
t his world ? Yet notwithstanding this mela n

,
s
c ho l state of facts some preac hers from the

y , ,
persuasion o f a mysterious apostolic sacredness

in the o ffice or from a vain estimate of their
,
talents or from mistaking the applause with

,
which the preacher has been flattered for the ,
proof o f a salutary e ffect on the minds o f the

hearers or in some instances from a much
, , ,
worthier cause the a ffecting influence of sacred

,
truth on their own minds have been inclined ,
to anticipate striking e ffects from their public

ministrations M ela n c t ho n was a romantic
.
youth when he began to preach He expected .
that all must be inevitably and immediately

persuaded when they Should hear what he had
,
to tell them But he soon discovered as he

.
,
said that o ld Adam was too hard for young

,
M ela n c t ho n In addition to the grand fact

.
Of the depravity O f the hum a n heart there are ,
S O many causes operating injuriously through

the week o n the characters o f those who form
a congregation that a though tful man often
,
feels an inva ding melancholy amidst his reli

gi o u s addresses from the reflection
, that he is
making a feeble e ffort against a powerful evil ,
a single e ffort against a combination of evils ,
a temporary a n d transient e ffort against evils o f

almost continual operation and a purely intel ,
lectual effort against evils many Of which act ,
on the senses When the preacher considers

.
the e ffect n aturally resulti n g from the S ight of

SO many bad examples the communications ,
o f so many injurious acquaintance the hearing ,

and talking of what would be if written so , ,
many volumes of vanity and nonsense the ,
predominance o f fashionable dissipation in a

high e r class and of a coarser corruption in a
,
lower ; he must indeed imagine himself endowed

with a super human power o f eloquence if the
-
,
instructions expressed in an hour o r two o n the

sabbath and soon as he might kn ow forgotten
, , ,
by most of hi s hearers are to leave in t he mind

,
something which shall be through the week

, ,
the e fli c a c i o u s repellant to the contact and

contamination of all these forces o f mischief .
But how soon he would cease t o imagine such

an e ffi cacy in his exhortations if the greater
,
number O f his hearers could sincerely and a o

c u r a t el tell him toward the end o f the week
y , ,
in what degree these admon itions had affected

and governed them in opposition to their cor
,
rupt tendencies their habits and their t emp ta

, ,
tions What would be in the five o r si x days

.
,
t he number of the m oments an d the I nstances
in which these instr uctions would be proved to

have been e ffectual compared with the whole
,
number o f moments and circumstances t o which

they were applicable by appropriateness of
instruction a n d warning ? How often while ,
’
hearing such a week s detail o f the lives o f a
considerable proportion o f a congregation a ,
.
m a n would have occasion to sa y By whose ,
instructions were these persons influenced then ,
in that neglect of devout exercises that excess ,

of levity that waste of time that avowed c o n

, ,
tempt of r eligion that language o f profaneness

,
and imp r ecation those contrivances o f self sh

,
i
ness those paroxysms o f passion that study

, ,
o f sensuality o r that habitual general Obduracy

,
in evil ?
But the preacher to whos e sanguine tempera
ment I am reluctantly applying these cooling
suggestions may tell me that it is not by means
, ,
of a n force which h e can throw into his reli

y
gio n s instructions that he expects them to be
,
efficacious ; but that he believes a div i n e energy

will accompany what is undoubtedly a message
from heave n I am pleased with the piety and
.
,
the sound judgment ( as I esteem i t ) with which

, ,
he expects the conversion o f careless or har

den e d men from nothing less than an operation
strictly considered as o f divine power But I .
would remind him that the probability a t any

, ,
given season that such a power will intervene

, ,
must be in proportion to the frequency o r in tre

q u en c
y with which its intervention is actually
mani fested in t he general course of experience ;
that is in proportion to the number o f happy
,
transformations o f character wh ich we see taking

place under the e ffi cacy of religious truth He .
mus t admit this to be substantially the rule ! if

he require that it be modified by the considera
tion o f prom i ses and signs from the S upreme
P ower of the n ea r app r oa c h of an augmented
d ivine interference fo r the efficacy of religion I ,
shall willingly admit what I can of such a reason

for conceding such a modification .
R eformers in general are very apt to over

rate the power O f the mean s by which their
theories a r e to be realized They are for ever
.
introducin g the story o f Archimedes who was ,
to have moved the world if he could have found

any second place o n which to p lant his engines ;
and imagination discloses to moral a n d p olit i c a l '
proj ectors a cloud built and truly extramundane

-
position which they deem to b e exactly such

,
a convenience in their departm ent as the ,
mathematician whose converse with demon

,
st r a t i on s had saved p a r t of hi s reason from

being run away with by his fancy confessed to ,
be a desideratum in hi s This terra fi r ma is

.
n amed the O mnipotence o f Truth .
It is presumed that truth must at length

, ,
through the indefatigable exertions of intellect ,
becom e generally victorious ; and that all vice ,
being the result o f a mistaken judgment o f the

nature or the means of happiness must therefore ,
accompany t he e x it o f error By the same rule

.
it is presumed of the present times also o r at ,
least o f those immediately approaching that in ,
every society and every mind where truth is

clearly admitted the reforms which it dictates
,
must substantially follow I have the most c o n

‘
fide n t faith that the prevalence o f truth making ,
its progress by a far mightier agency than mere

philosophic inquiry i s appointed to irradiate the
,
2 18 ON T HE A PPL I C ATION OF
latter ages Of a dark and troubled world ; and ,
o n the strength of prophetic intim ations I anti ,
c i pa t e its coming sooner by at least a thousand

,
ages than a disciple o f that philosophy which

,
rej ects revelation as the first proud step toward

,
the improvement o f the world is warranted by , ,
a View of the past and present stat e of mankind ,
to predict The assurance from the same

.
oracle I s the authority for believing th a t when

truth shall have acquired the universal dominion
over the understanding it will evince a still
,
nobler power in the general e ffect o f conforming

the heart and the life to its laws But in the .
present state of the moral system our expecta ,
tions of the e ffect of truth on the far greater

number of the persons who shall assent to its
dictates have no right to exceed such measures
,
o f probability as have been given by experience .
It would be gratifyi n g no doubt to believe that ,
the several powers i n the human constitution

are in such faithful combination that to gain the ,
j udgment would be to secure the whole man .
And if all history and the memory o f o u r o w n

,
observation and experience could be merged in ,
L ethe it might be believed perhaps for two or

,
—
three hours Ho w could an attentive observer

.
o r reflector believe it longer ? Ho w long would

it be that a keenly self inspecting mind could
-
detect no schism n one at all between its c o n

, ,
v i c t i o n s and inclinations ? And as to others ,
is it not flagrantly evident that very many

persons with a most absolute co nviction by their

, ,
own ingenuous avowal that one cert a in course ,
of action is virtue and happine ss and another , ,
vice and misery do yet habitually choose the

,
latter ? It is not improbable that several mil ~
lions o f hum a n beings are at this v ery hour thus

acting in violation o f the laws of rectitude while ,
those laws are acknowledged by them not only ,
as impositions O f moral authority but as vital ,

‘
principles of their own tr u e self interest *

And -
.
do not even the best men confess a fierce di s

cord between the tendencies of their imper fectly
T he crimin a l hi m s elf ha s the cl ea re s t consciousn e ss th a t

he viol a t e s t he dic t a t e s of his ju dgm e n t Ho w t ri fli ng is the
.
sub t ilt y whi ch a ffe ct s t o sh ew tha t he do e s n ot viola t e t h e m ,
by all e ging tha t eve ry a c t of choic e mus t b e pre ceded by a

,
d et er min a tion o f th ju dgment a n d tha t therefore in choosing

e ,
an e vil , a man d o e s a t t he ti m e ju dg e i t t o b e on som e
a ccoun t p r e fe r a bl e t hough he m a y kno w i t t o b e wr ong

, It .
is n o t t o b e deni ed tha t the choic e do e s imply such a c on

elusion of the ju dgm e n t B u t t his conclu sion is m a de a cco r d
.
ing t o a n a rrow a n d subordin a t e sc a l e o f e s t ima ting goo d a d n
e vil,
whil e the min d is conscious tha t ju dging a ccor ding ,
t o a l a rg e r sc a l e t ha t is t he ight fully a u th ori t a t iv e on e t he

, ,
r ,
O pposit e conclu sion i s t ru e I t j u dg e s a t hing b et t er for

.
imm edi a t e pl ea sure which i t kno w s t o b e wors e for ultim a t e

,
a dv a n t a g e T he crimin a l t he r efore m a y b e corre c t ly s a i d

.
t o a c t a c c or di n g t o his judgm e n t i choosing i t for pre s ent

, n
pl ea sure B u t sinc e i t i s the grea t O ffic e of t he j udgm en t t o

.
de cide wha t is wis e s t a n d b e s t on t h w hol e t he m an m a y

e ,
t ruly b e s a i d t o a c t a g a i n st hi s j udgm e t w ho a c t s in O p p o
n ,
sit iou t o the conclu sion which i t for ms on this gre a t er

sc a le.
renovated nature and the dictates of that truth

,
which they revere ? They say with S t P aul .

,
That which I do I allow not ; for what I

,
would that I do not ; but what I hate that I

, ,
do ; to will is present with me but how to per ,
form that which is good I find not ; the good ,
that I would that I do n o t and the evil which

”
, ,
I would not that I do , The serious self.
observer recollects instances ( what a singularity ,
o f happiness if he cannot in which a t e mp t a

tion exactly addressed to his passions or his
,
habits has prevailed in spite of the sternest

,
interdict of his judgment pronounced at the ,
very crisis P erhaps the most awful sanctions

.
by which the judgment can ever enforce its

authority were distinctly brought to his vie w at
,
the same moment with its dictates In the su b .
sequent hour he had to reflect that the ideas of ,
G od a future acco u nt a world o f retribution

, , ,
could not prevent hIm from violating his con

science That he did not at the critical moment
.
dwelldeliberately o n these remonstrant ideas in ,
order to give them e ffect o n his will is nothing ,
against my argument It is o f the very essence

.
o f the fatal disorder that the passions will not l

, et
the mind strongly fix o n t he preventive c on si

derations And what greater power than this
.
could they need to defeat the power o f tr uth ?
If the passions c a n thus prevent the mind from

strongly fixing on the most awfu l consi derations
when distinctly presented by truth in counter
TH E E P ITH ET R OM ANTI C . 221
action to temptation they can destroy the,
efficacy of the truth which presents them .
Truth can do no more than d iscriminate the

good from the evil before us enforce the i n ,
du c e m en t s to choose right and declare the ,
consequences o f ou r choice W hen this is i n .
effic a c i o u s its po w er has failed

, And no fact .
can be more evident than that preceptive t ruth ,
apprehended and acknowledged often t hus fails , .
L et even its tea cher and advocate confess ho

n e stl whether he have not had to deplore
y
numberless times the deficient e fli c a c y o f his
own clearest convictions An d if w e survey
.
mankind as under an experi m ent relative to this

point it will be found in instances innumerable
, , ,
that to have informed and c o n v i n c e d a m a n

,
m a y be but little toward emancipating him

from the habits which he S incerely acknow
ledges to be wrong There is then no s u ch
.
inviolable connexion as some men have su p

posed between the admission O f truth and ,
consequent action And therefore most i m

.
,
portant though it is that truth be exhibited and

admitted the expectations that presume its
,
omnipotence without extraordinary i n t er v en

,
tion are romantic delusion

, .
Y o u will Observe that in this case o f trying

the e ffi cacy of the truth o n others I have sup ,
posed the great previous difficulty o f presenting ,
it to t he understanding SO l u minously as to
impress irresistible conviction to be already ,
overcome ; though the experimental reformer

will find this introductory work s u ch an arduous
undertaking that he will be Oft en tempted to
,
abandon it as hopeless .
L E TTER IV .
W HEN the gloomy estimate o f means and of

plans for the amendment of m ankind does not
make an exception o f the actual human admi
n i st r a t i on o f the religion o f C hrist I am anxious
,
not to see m to fail in justice to that religion by ,
w hich I believe that every improvement of a

sublime order yet a waiting our race must be
e ffected I trust I do not fail ; since I keep in
.
my mind a clear distinction between C hristianity

itself as a thing o f divine origin and nature and ,
the administration o f it by a system of merely

human powers and means These means are
.
indeed o f divine appointment and to a certain

,
extent are accompanied by a special divine

agency But how far this agency acc ompanies
.
them i s seen in the measure and limit of their

success Where t ha t stands arrested the fact
.
,
itself is the proof that further than so the

TH E E P ITHE T R OMANTI C . 223
superior operation does not attend the human

agents and means There it stops and leaves
.
,
them to accomplish if they can what remains , , .
What is it that remains ? If t he general trans

formation o f mankind into such persons as could
be justly deemed true disciples o f C hrist were ,
regarded as the obj ect of his religion ho w mys ,
t e ri o u sl
y small a part o f that obj ect has the
divine agency ever yet been exerted to a c c o m

p l i sh ! And then the awful and immense
, re
ma i n der evinces the inexpressible imbecility of
the means when left to be applied as a mere
,
human administration The manifestation of .
its incompetency is fearfully conspicuous in the

vast maj ority the numerous millions of C hris
,
t e n do m and the millions of even o u r O wn

,
country on whom this religi on has no direct

,
influence I need not observe what numbers

.
of these latter have heard o r read the evangelic

declaration thousands o f times nor ho w very ,
many o f them are fortified i n an insensibilit y ,
on which its most momentous announcements

strike as harmless as the slenderest arrows
o n the shield o f Aj ax P robably each religious .
teacher can recollect besides his general ex p e ,
ri c u ce very particular instances in which he

, ,
has se t himself to exert the ut most force of his

mind in reasoning illustration and seriou s a p
, , ,
pe a l to impress some one important idea on

, ,
some o n e class of perso n s to whom it wa s most

specifically applicable and needful ; and has
perceived the plainest in dication s both at the ,
instant and immediately after that i t was an ,
attempt o f the same kind as that o f demolishing

a tower by assaulting it with pebbles No r do .
I need t o Observe ho w generally if a momen ,
tary impression be made it is forgotten the

,
following hour .
A man convinced of the truth and excellence

of C hristianity yet entertaining a more flattering
,
notion o f the reason and moral dispositions o f

man than any doctrine o f that religion agrees
to may be very reluctant to admit that there
,
is such a fatal disproportion between the appa

ratus if I may call it so o f the christian means
, ,
as left to be actuated by mere human energy ,
and the obj ect which is to be attempted But .
ho w i s he to help himself ? Will he rej ect

the method of conclusion from facts in an ,
a ffair where they so peculiarly constitute the

evidence ? He cannot look at the world o f
facts and contradict the representation in the
preceding paragraph unless his imagination is
,
so illusive as to interpose an absolute phantasm

between his eyes and the obvious reality He .
cannot affir m that there is n ot an im mense n u m

ber of persons even educated persons receiving
, ,
the christian declarations with indifference or ,
rej ecting the m with a carelessness partaking of

contempt The right means are applied and
. ,
with a ll the force that human e ffort can give

them but with a suspension in these instances
, , ,
TH E E P ITHET R OMA NTI C . 2 25
of the divine agency — and t hi s is the e ffect !

,
While the fact stands out so palpably to view ,
I listen with something of wonder and some ,
thing O f curiosity when some professed believers

,
and advocates of the gospel are avowing high

anticipations o f i t s progressive e fficacy chiefly ,
o r solel y by means of the intrinsic force which
it carries as a rational address to rational crea

tures I cannot help inquirin g what length O f
.
time is to b e allowed for the experiment which ,
is to prove the adequacy of the means inde

pendently o f special divine intervention N or .
can it be impertinent to ask what is thus far , ,
the state o f the experiment and the succes s ,
among those who scout the idea of such a divine

agency as a dream of fanaticism
,
Mi ght it . -
n ot be prudent to moderate the expressions o f

,
contempt for the persuas ion which excites an

importunity for extraordinary influence from
the Almighty till the success without it shall
,
be greater ? The utmost arrogance of this con

tempt will venture no comparison between the
respective success in the conversion of vain and
,
wicked men of the christian means as a dmi n i s

,
t er e d by those who implore and rely upon this

special agency of heaven and by those w ho ,
deny any such operation on the mind ; deny it

in sense and substance whatever a c c o mm o
,
datin g phrases t hey may sometimes employ .
Ha s there in deed been any success at all in ,
!
that great business of conversion to vindicate ,
!
226 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION or
the calcula tions o f this latter class from the

imputation o f all the vainest folly that sho uld be
meant by the word R omantic ?
But when I introduced the mention of re
,
formers and their proj ects I w a s n o t intending ,
any reference to delusive presumptions o f the

operations o f C hristianit y but to those spe c u,
la t i o n s and schemes for the amendment o f man

kind which anticipate their e ffect independently
o f its assistance ; some o f them perhaps S ilently
coinciding with several of i t s principles while ,
others expressly disclaim them Unless these .
schemes bring with them like spirits from ,
heaven an intrinsic competence to the great

,
Operation without requiring to be met or aided

,
by forwardness in the nature of the S ubj ect it ,
may be predicted they will turn to the m o r t i fi

cation o f their fond proj ectors There is no .
avoiding the ungracious perception in surveying ,
the general character o f the race that after , ,
some allowance fo r what is called natural a ffe c

tion and fo r compassionate sympathy ( an ex
, ,
c el le n t principle but extremely limited and

,
Often capricious in i t s operation ) the main ,
stre n gth of human feelings consists in the love

o f sensual gratification o f trifling amusement o f
, ,
distinction o f power and o f money An d by

, ,
.
what suicidal inconsistency are these principles

to lend their force t o accomplish the schemes
o f pure reason and virtue which they will , ,
n ot fail t o perceive are plotting against

,
TH E E P ITH ET R OMANTI C . 27
them M e
And if they have far too perfect an
instinct to be trepanned into such an employ
ment o f their force and yet are the pr ep on
,
derating agents in the human heart what o ther ,
active principles of it can the renovator o f

human character call to his e ffectual aid again st ,
the evils which a r e accumulated and defended

by what is at once the baser and the stronger
part ? Whatever principles o f a better kind
there may be in the nature they can hold but ,
a feeble and inert existence under this predo

mi n a n c e of the worse and could make but a,
faint insurrection in favour of the invading

virtue The very wors t of them may indeed
.
seem to become its allies when it happens a s ,
it occasionally will that the course o f; action

,
which reforming v irtue enforces falls in the ,
same line in which some o f these meaner prin

ci l
p es can attain their own ends Then and so .
,
,
far an unsound coincidence may take place

, ,
and the external e ffect O f those principles may

be clad in specious appearances O f virtue ; but
the moment that the reforming proj ector sum
mons their c o operation to a service in which
-
they must desert their own obj ect and their
I am r e re min ded of the Sp a nish s t or y o f a v ill a g e

he ,
whe re t he de vil ha vi ng m a de the p e opl e e xc e ssively wick d

,
e
w a s punishe d by b e ing comp el l e d t o a ssum the a pp a ra nc

e e e
an d habi t o f a fri a r a n d t o p r ea ch so e l qu en t ly in S pi t f e o
!
,
o ,
hi s in t er a l r epugn a nc e an d r a g e t h a t t he inh a bi t a n t s w r
n ,
e e
compl e t ely r eform d e .

2 28 ON TH E A PPL I C A T ION or
corrupt character they will desert hi m ,

As .
long as he is condemned to depend for the ,
e fficacy o f his schemes on the aid o f so much ,
pure propensity a s he S hall find in the corrupted

subj ect he will be nearly in the case o f a man
,
attem p t ing to climb a tree by laying hold first ,
o n this side and then o n that o f some rotten

, ,
twig which still breaks o ff in his hand and lets

, ,
him fall among the nettles .
L ook again to the state o f facts C oll e ctive .
man i s hum a n nature ; and the conduct o f this

assemblage under the diversified experi ments
,
contin ually made on it expresses its true cha ,
r a c t er and indicates what may be expected

,
from it N ow then to what principle in hu man

.
,
nature as thus illus trated by trial could you

, ,
wit h confidence appeal in favour of any of the

great obj ects which a benevolent man desire s
to se e accomplished ? If there were in it any
on e grand pri nciple of goodness which a n
earnest call a n d a great occasion would raise
, ,
into action t o assert or redeem the character

,
of the species o n e S hould think it would be

,
what w e call incorrectly enough Humanity

, , .
C onsider then in this nation fo r instance which

, ,
extols its own generous virt u es to the Sky wha t ,
lively and rational appeals have been made to

the whole community respecting the Slave ,
trade the condition o f t he poor the immensity

*
, ,
Ha ppily t his pic

to of a ccus a tion is in a m ea sur e now
se t a si de ! bu t i t wou ld ha v e r e m a in e d a s immov a bl e a s the
TH E E P ITHET R OMAN TI C . 229
pf cruelty perpetrated o n brute animals and the ,
g eneral national
, desperate complacency mani ,
fe st e d for what is named honourable w a r during ,
a whole half century o f lofty christian preten

sion appeals substantially in vain And w hy
,
— .
in vain ? If humanity w er e a powerful prin

ci l in the nature of the community they
p e ,
wo u ld not in contempt o f knowledge ex p o stu

, ,
lation and spectacles o f misery persist in the

, ,
most enormous violations o f it Why in vain ? .
but plainly because there is not enough o f that

virtue o f humanity even in what i s deemed a ,
highly cultivated state o f the human nature ,
to answer to the importunate call O r if this .
be n o t the cause let the idolaters o f human ,
divinity call like the worshippers o f Baa l in a

, ,
louder voice Their success is likely to be the

.
same ; they will obtain no extraordinary e x er

tion O f power though they cry from morning ,
till the setting sun And meanwhile the o b .
server who foresees their disappointment would

, ,
think himself warranted but for the melancholy ,
conti ent o f Af ica if the l egi l a t ure ha d n o t b een fo c ed

n r , s r
i t o a convict ion t ha t on the wh l e th sla v t ra de w a s o t

n , o ,
e e n
a dv a n ta g e ous in poi t o f p e cu n i a ry i t r s t
n A t l a s t t he n e e . e
g uil t woul d so ha v e r e m a in e d u p on t he a ti n ct in g in i ts n o a
c ap a ci t y of a ta te — Thi n t e is a dded subs qu en t ly t o th

s . s o e e
firs t e di t ion —I t m a y b e ubj oi n e d in q u a lific a t io n of th

. s ,
e
r epro a c h r e la t iv e t o t he n e x t a r t icl e — t h e co di t ion f th n o e

,
poor tha t durin g a la t er p rio d t he r e h b ee n a in cr s e

,
—
e as n ea
o f t he a t t n t ion an d
e x e tio di e c t ed t th t con di tion ;
e r n r o a
which ha s n e v e rt h le s b e com e wo r s a n d wor e

, e s, e s .
230 TH E A P PL I C A T ION
’
ON or
feeling th at the nature in question is his own ,
to deride their expectation s You know that a —
multitude of e x e mplific a ti o n s might be added .
And the thought o f so many great and interest

ing Obj ects concerning the welfare of the human
,
economy as a sober appreciation of means

, ,
s eems to place beyond the reach o f the moral
revolutionist will Often if he has a genuine

*
, ,
benevolence make him sad He will repeat to

, .
himself How easy it is to conceive these ines

,
timable improvements and how nobly they

‘
would exalt my species ; but how to work them

into the actual condition of man Are there
“
—
s omewhere in possibility
” he will ask intel , ,
lectual and moral engin es mighty enough to

perform the great process ? Where in darkness
is the sacred repository in whic h they lie ?
“
What M a rr a t o n i shall explore the unknown
Wa y to it ? The man who would not as part
o f the price Of the discovery be glad to close ,
up all the transatlantic mines would deserve to ,
It is O bvious tha t I a m n ot supposing this mora l revo

lu t i on i st t o b e a rm e d wi th an y pow er b u t t h a t o f p ersu a sion .
I f he w e re a mon a rch a n d poss e ss e d vi r t u e a n d t a l en t s e qu a l

,
t o his pow e r t he c a s e wo uld b e m a t eri a l

, ly differen t E ve n .
t he n he woul d a ccompli sh b u t li t t l
,
e comp a r e d wi th wh a t he
coul d im a gi n e a n d woul d de sire ; yet t o a ll hu m a n a p

, ,
ear a n c e he migh t b e the ins t rum e n t o f won derful ly c h a nging

p ,
t he con di tion of soci e t y wi t hin hi s e mpir e I f the soul o f

.
Alfr e d coul d r e turn t o the e a r th

t Sp e c t a t or No 5 6 ,
. .
be immured as the last victim o f those deadly

caverns .
But each proj ecting visionary thinks the dis

c ov er
y is m ade ; and while surveying his own
great magazine o f expedients consisting o f F or ,
’ ’ ’
t u n a t u s s cap the philosopher s stone Aladdin s
, ,
la mp and other equally efficient articles he is

, ,
confident t ha t t he work may speedily be done .
These powerful instruments of me l iora tion per

haps lose their individual names under the
general denomination of P hilosophy a term ,
that would be venerable if it could be rescued ,
from the misfortune of being hackneyed into

cant and from serving the impiety which sub
,
sti t u t e s human ability to divine power But .
it is o f little consequence what denomination

the proj ectors assume to themselves or their
schemes it is by their fruits that we shall know
them Their work is before them ; the scene
.
of moral disorder presents to them the plagues

which they are to stop the mountain which they
,
are to remove the torrent which they are

,
to divert the desert w hich they are to clothe

,
in verdure and bloom L et them make their .
experiment and add each his page to the

,
humiliating records in which experience con

t e mn s the folly of elated imagination *
.
I n r ea ding l a t ely som e p a r t o f a t ole ra bly w e ll wri t ten-
book publishe d f w y e a rs sinc e I c a m e t o the f llowing

a e ,
o
p a ss a g which t hough in c onn e xion i n dee d wi th th subj e c t

e, e
232 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION or
All the speculations and schemes O f the san

guine projectors of all ages have left the w orld ,
’
l
o f e e c ti on s, xpre ss e s the a ut hor s g en er a l opinion o f the
e
s ta t e o f soci e ty a n d o f the m ea ns o f e x a l ting i t t o wi dom

, s
a n d vir t u e . T he bulk o f the communi t y b e gin t o e x a min e ,
t o fee l t o un der s t a n d t h eir rig ht s a n d du t i e s

, , T hey on l
y .
r e ui r e
q the f os ter i n
g ca r e
f
o t he P hi l
oso her
p to r ip en them
i n to com
p l
e te furnis
r a ti on a l
it h t h e m wi t h t he r e qui
an d
y ,
sit e s O f poli t ica l a n d m or a l a c tion Here I p a us e d in .
won de ring mood T he fos t e ring c a r e o f the P hilosopher !

.
Why t hen is n o t t he P hilosoph er a bou t his busin e ss ? Why

do e s he n o t go a n d in doc t rin a t e a co mp a ny of p e a s a n t s in t he
in t erva ls o f a ploughing or a ha rv t da y when he will fin d es ,
t h e m far mor e e a g e r for hi s in t ruc t ions t ha n for drink ? Why

s
do e s he n o t in t ro duc e hi m s elf a mong a circl e of fa rm ers who ,
ca nno t fa il a s he en t e rs t o b e v e ry j u diciously di cussing

, , s ,
wi th th e a i d of t h eir punch a n d their pip e s the m os t r efin e d ,
qu e s t ions r e sp e c ting t h ir right s a n d du ti e s a n d w a n ting b u t

e ,
e x a c t ly hi s a i d ins t ea d O f m r e punch a d t ob a cco t o p o s

,
o n ,
s e ss the ms elve s com p l e t ely f the e quisi t e s O f polit ica l a d

o r n
mora l a ct ion ? T he popul a ce of a m a nufa c t ory is a no th e r ,
mos t promising s e min a ry wher e a ll th mor l a n d i t ellec

, e a n
t u a l en dowm en t s a r e so n e a rly rip e tha t he will s e e m l e ss ,
t o ha v e t h t a sk o f cul t iv a t i g t h a n t he pl e a sur e o f rea ping

e n .
E v e n a mong t he comp a ny in t he a le hous e t hough t he P hi -

,
lo so pher migh t a t firs t b sorry a n d might won de r t o p e

e , , r
c ei v e a slight m e rg e o f t he mor al p a r t o f the m a n in the

s ensu a l a n d t o fi d in so vocife rous a moo d tha t inqui ring
, n
r ea son which he ha d suppos e d woul d b e w a i t ing for hi m

, ,
wi th the sil en t a nxious d ocili t y f a pupil o f P y tha gor so a ,
e t he woul d fin d a mos t pow e r fu l pr e disposi t ion t o t u th r

y
a n d virt u e a n d t he r e would b e e v ry t hing t o h p e from t he
, e o
a ccur a cy o f hi s logic t he compr ehensiv en e ss o f hi s vi ews

, ,
a n d t he b e a u t y of hi s mor a l s e n t im e n t s B u t p erh a ps i t wi ll
.
b e e xpl a in e d t h a t t he P hilosophe r do e s n o t m ea n t o visi t a l

, l
TH E E P ITHET R OMANTI C . 233
still a prey to infinite legions of vices a n d

miseries an immortal band which has trampled
, ,
in scorn on the monuments and the dust of the

self idolizing men who dreamed each in his
-
,
da y that they were born to C hase these evils

,
out of the earth If these vain demigods of

.
an hour who trusted to change the world and

, ,
who perhaps wished to change it only to make

it a temple to their fame could be awaked ,
"
from the unmarked graves into which they

sunk to look a little while round on the scene
,
for some traces o f the success of their proj ects ,
would they not be eager to retire again into

the chambers o f death to hide the shame of ,
their remembered presumption ? The wars

a n d tyranny the rancour cruelty and revenge
, , ,
together with all the other unnumbered vices

and crimes with which the earth is still infested ,
are enough if the whole mass could be brought

,
within one section of the inhabited world of ,
the e x tent o f a considerable kingdom to c on ,
sti t u t e its whole population literall

y infernal ,
all but their being incarnate ; which last they
th e s e p e ople in pe rson ; b u t t ha t ha vi g firs t s e cure d the

n
sou c e o f in flu enc e h a ving t a k e n e n t ir e poss e ss i on of princ e s

r , ,
nobilit y g ent ry a n d cle rgy which he e xp e c t s t o do in a v e ry

, , ,
shor t t im e he will m anag e them lik e a el e c trical m a hi n e

, n c ,
t o op e ra t e o n the bu l k of t he co m munit y Ei ther w y t he . a
a chi e v e m e n t will b e gr ea t a n d a dmira bl e ; t he l a t te e v nt r e
“
s ee ms t o ha ve b een pr e di ct e d in tha t ibyllin e s en t enc e
When the sky falls w e shall c a t ch l a rks
,
” .
s ,
34 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION OF
would soon through mutual destruction cease

, ,
to be Hitherto the power o f the radical cause

.
of these many forms o f evil the corruption of ,
the human heart has sported with the weak

,
ness o r seduced the strength of all human

, ,
contrivances to subdue them No r are there .
as yet m ore than glimmering S ig n s that we are

com mencing a better era in which the means ,
that have failed before or the expedients of a

,
new and more fortunate invention are appointed ,
“
to victory and triumph The nature o f man .
still casts ominous conj ecture o n the whole

success ” While tha t is corrupt it will pervert
.
,
even the very schemes and operations by which

the world S hould be improved though their first ,
principles were pur e as heaven The innate .
principle of evil instead of indifferen tly letting

,
them alone to work what good they can

, ,
will put forth a stupendous force to compel

them into subserviency ; so tha t revolutions ,
great discoveries augmented science and new

, ,
forms of polity shall become in afiec t what

,
m a y be denominated the sublime mechanics o f

depravity .
TH E E P IT H ET R OMANT I C . 235
LE TTER V .
T HI S view of moral and philosophical pro

j ec t
, s added to that of the limited ex e rtion o f
energy which the Almi ghty has made to attend ,
as yet the dispensation of true religion and

, ,
accompanied with the consideration of the impo

tence of human e fforts to make that dispensa
tion efficacious where his will does not forms ,
a melancholy and awful contemplation In the .
hours when it casts its gloom over t he mind

of the thoughtful Observer unless he can fully
,
resign the condition of man to the infinite wis

dom and goodness of his C reator he will feel ,
an emotion of horror as if standing o n the

,
verge of a hideous gulf into which almost all

,
the possibilities and speculations a n d e fforts

, , ,
and hopes relating to the best improvements

,
of mankind are brought down by the torrent

,
of ages in a long abortive series to be lost in

, ,
final despair .
To an atheist of enlarged sensibility if there ,
could be such a man how dark and hideous

, ,
beyond all power of description must be the ,
long review and the u n defin a ble prospect Of ,
this triumph o f e v il unaccompanied as it must

, ,
2 36 ON TH E A PPL I C AT I ON OF
be presented to his thoughts by any sublime ,
process o f intelligent power converting in some

, ,
manner unknown to mortals this evil into good , ,
either during the course or in the result A .
devout theist when he becomes sa d am idst

,
his contemplations recovers a submissive tran

,
quillity by reverting to his assurance of suc h

,
a wise a n d omnipotent sovereignty and agency .
As a believer in revelation he is consoled by ,
the confidence both that this dark train of evils

will ultimately issue in transcendent brightness ,
and that the evil itself in this world will at a

future period almost cease H e is persuaded .
that the G reat S pirit w ho presides over this

,
mysterious scene has an energy of influence

,
yet in reserve to beam forth o n the earth such ,
as its i nhabitants have never except in a fe w ,
momentary glimpses beheld ; and that when

,
the predestined period is completed for hi s

kingdom to come he will command this chaos
,
o f turbulent and malignant elements to become
transformed into a fair and happy moral world .
And i s it not strange my dear friend to, ,
Observe ho w carefully som e philosophers who ,
deplore the condition of the worl d and profess ,
to expect its melioratio n keep their speculations

,
clear o f every idea o f divine interposition ?

N o builders o f houses o r cities were eve r more
attentive to guard against the access of flood or
fire If He should but touch their prospective
.
theories of improvement they would renounce

,
them as
, de file d
and fit only for vulgar fana
t i c i sm
. Their system o f P rovidence would be
profaned by the intrusion of the Almighty .
M an is to e ffect an apotheosis for himself by the ,
hopeful process o f exhausting his corruptions .
And should it take a long series o f ages vices , ,
and woes to reach this glorious a t tainment

, ,
patience may sustain itself the while by the

thought that when it is realized it will be ,
burdened with no duty of religious gratitude .
NO time is too long to wait no cost too deep ,
to incur for the triumph o f proving t hat we

,
have no need o f a D ivinity regarded as pos ,
sessing that one attribute which makes it de

lightfu l to ackn owledge such a Being the ,
benevolence that wou ld m ake us happy But .
even if this noble self sufficiency cannot be

-
realiz ed the independence of spirit which has

,
This affli cted world “

laboured for it must not sink at last into p i ety
this poor terrestrial cita
,
.
del o f man is to lock its gates and keep i t s

, ,
miseries rather than admit the degradation of

,
receiving help from G od .
I wish it were not true that even men who

firmly believe in the general doctrine of the
divine government of the worl d are Often b e ,
t r a ye d into the impiety o f attaching an e x c e s
S ive importance to hu man agency in its events .
How easily a creature of their own species is

transformed by a sympathetic pride into a G o d
before them ! If what they deem the cause
238 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION OF
of truth and justice advances with a S plendid

,
front of distinguished names of legislators or ,
patriots o r martial heroes it must then and

, ,
must therefore triumph ; nothing can withstand

such talents accompanied by the zeal of so
,
many faithful adherents If these shining i n

.
sects o f fame are crushed or sink in t o the ,
despicable reptiles of corruption alas then for , , ,
the cause of truth and justice ! All this while ,
there is no due reference to the Blessed and

only P otentate ” If however the foundations
.
, ,
of their religious faith have not been shaken ,
and they possess any docility to the lessons of

time they will after a while be taught to with
,
draw their dependence and c onfidence from all

subordinate agents and habitually regard the
,
S upreme Being as the sole possessor of real

and absolute power .
P erhaps it is n o t improbable that the grand ,
moral improvements o f a future ag e may be

ac complished in a manner that shall leave no
thing to man but humility and grateful a do
ration .His pride so obstinately ascribes to
himself whatever good is e ffected on the globe ,
that perhaps the D eity will evince hi s o w n

interposition by events as evidently independent
,
o f the might o f man as the rising of the su n .
It may be that some o f them may take place

in a manner but little connected even with
human Operation O r if the activity o f men
.
shall be employed a s the means o f producing

all of them there will probably be as palpable

,
a disproport ion between the instruments and

the events as there was between the rod of
,
M oses and the amazing ph aenomena which

followed when it was stretched forth NO .
Israelite was foolish enough to ascribe to the

r o d the power that di v ided the sea ; nor will
the witnesses of the moral wonders to come

attribute them to man No t by might nor
.
,
by power but by my S pirit saith the L ord o f

”
, ,
hosts.
I hope these extended Observations will not

appear like an attempt to exhibit the whole
stock O f means as destitute of all value and
, ,
the in dustrious application of them as a labour

without reward It i s not to depreciate a thing
.
,
if in the attempt to ascertain its real magnitude

, ,
it is proved to be little It is no injustice to .
mechanical powers to sa y that S lender machines

,
will not move rocks and massiv e t imbers ; nor

to chemical ones to assert that though an
,
earthquake may fling a promontory from its

basis the explosion o f a canister of gunpowder
,
will not Between moral forces also and the

.
—
,
objects to which they are to be applied there ,
are constituted measures of proportion ; and it
would seem an Obvious principle of good sense ,
that an estimate moderately correct of the value

of each of our means according to those mea
sures as far as they can be ascertained should
, ,
pre cede every application o f them S uch an .

ON T HE A PPL I C ATION OF
estimate has no place in a mind under the

ascendency Of imagination which therefore , , ,
by extravagantly magnifying the virtue of its

means inflates its projects with hopes which
,
may j ustly be called romantic The best cor .
r e c ti v e o f such irrational expectation i s an

appeal to e xperience There is an immense
.
record of experiments which wi ll assign the

,
force of almost all the engines as worked by ,
human hands in the whole moral m agazine

,
.
And if a man expects any o n e o f them t o

produce a greater e ffect than ever before it ,
must be because the talents of him that repeats

the trial are believed to transcend those o f all
for mer experimenters or else because the se a
,
so n appears more auspicious .
The estimate of the power of means which ,
comes in answer to the appeal to experience ,
is indeed most humiliating ; but what then ?

It is a humble thing to be a man The feeble .
ness o f means is in fact the feebleness o f

, ,
him that employs them ; for instruments to all

human apprehension the m ost inconsiderable ,
can produce the most prodigious e ffects when

wielded by celestial powers Till then the
.
, ,
time shall arrive for us to attain a nobler rank

o f existence, w e must be content to work on
the present level of our nature and e ffect that ,
little which we can e ffect ; unless it be greater

magnanimity and piety to resolve that because
o u r powers are limited to do only little things ,
TH E E P ITHE T R O MANTI C . 2 41
they shall therefore as if in revenge for such

,
an economy do nothing O u r means will do

,
.
something ; that something is what they were

meant to be adequate to in o u r hands and not ,
some indefinitely greater e ffect which w e may ,
all be tempted to wi sh and which a sanguine

,
visionary confidently expects .
This disproportion between the powers and

means with which mortals are confined t o work ,
and the great Obj ects which good men would

desi re to accomplish is a part of the a p
,
i n tm e n t s of Him w h o determined all the

p o
relations in the universe ; and he will see to the

consequences . F or the present he seems to ,
sa
y to his servants , F orbear to inquire w h y so
small a part of those Objects to which I have
summoned your activity is placed within the ,
reach of your powers Your feeble ability for

.
action is n ot acco m panied by such a capacity of

u n derstanding as would be requisite to c o m
,
prehend why that ability w a s made no greater .
Though it had been made inco mparably greater ,
w ould there not still have been Obj ects before

it too vast fo r its Operation ? M ust not the
highest o f created beings still have somethin g in
view which they feel they can but partially a c
,
complish till the S phere o f their active force be

enlarg ed ? Must there not be an end of i m
provement in my creation if the powers o f my ,
creatures had become perfectly equal t o the

magnitude o f their desig n s ? Ho w m ean must
R
2 42 ON T HE A PPL I C ATION OF
be the spiri t o f that being that would not make

an e ffort n o w toward the accomplishment o f
,
something higher than he will be able to a c

complish till hereafter Because mightier la
.
b o u r e r s wou ld have been requisite to e ffect all

that you wish will you murmur that I have
,
honoured you t he inferior ones with the a p

, ,
pointment o f making a noble exertion with

ho w ever limited success ? If there is but little
power in you r hands i s it not because I retain
,
the power in mi n e ? Are yo u afraid lest that

po wer should fail to do all things right only ,
because you are so little made its ins t ruments

Be grateful that a ll the work is not to be
done withou t you and that G od employs you
,
in that in which he also is employed Bu t .
remember that while the employment i s yours

, ,
the success is altogether his ; and that your

diligence therefore and n o t the measure o f
,
e ffect which it produces will be the test o f your,
characters . G ood m e n have been employed

in all ages under the same economy Of i made
quate means and what appeared to them i n
,
considerable success G o to your labo u rs ! every

.
sincere e ffort will infallibly be o n e step more

in your o wn progress t o a perfect state ; and as
t o the C ause when I see it necessary for a G od
,
to interpose in his o w n manner I will com e ,

.
I might deem a train o f Observations o f the

melancholy hue which shades some o f the
latter pages of this essay o f too depressive a
tendency were I n o t convinced that a serious

,
exhibition of the feebleness o f human agency

in relation to all great obj ects may aggravate ,
the impression often so insufficient o f the

, ,
absolute supr emacy o f G od o f the total de ,
e n de n c e o f all mortal strength and e f fort on

p
him and o f the necessity o f maintaining ha
,
b i t u a lly a devout re spect t o hi s intervention .
It might promote th a t last attainment of a

zealously good ma n the resignation to be as
,
di minutive and a s imperfectly successful an

agent a s G od pleases I am assured also that
.
,
in a pious mind the humiliating esti mate o f

,
means and human sufficiency and the c o n se ,
q uent sinking down o f all lofty e xpectat i on s
founded o n them will leave o n e Singl e mean

,
“ ;
and that far the best of all to be hel d n ot only ,
o f undiminished but of more eminent value

than ever w a s ascribed to it before The most .
excellent of all human means must be that o f

which the e ffect is to Obtain the exertion o f
divine power The means which are to be e m
.
ployed in a direct i mmediate instrum entality

toward the end seem to bear such a measured
,
proportion to their Objects as to assign and ,
limit the probable e ffect This reg ulated pro .
portion exi sts no longer a n d therefore the p o s

,
sible e ffects become too great for calculation ,
when tha t expedient is solemnly employed which ,
I S appointed as the mean o f engaging the di v ine
energy t o act o n the object If the only means .
R 2
by which Jehoshaphat sought to overcome hi s

superior enemy had bee n his troops horses
, , ,
and arms there would have been nearly an

,
assignable proportion between these mean s and

the end and the probable result of the conflict
,
would have been a matter o f ordi n ary c a lc u

lation But w he n he said
. N either know we ,
what to do but o u r eyes are up unto thee he

, ,
moved ( if I may reverently express it so )

another a n d an infinite force to invade the host
o f M oab and Ammon ; and the consequence
displayed in their camp the di fference between
, ,
an irreligious leader who could fight only with ,
arms a n d o n the level o f the plain and a ,
pious one who could thus assault from Heaven .
I t may not I own be perfectly correct to cite

, , ,
in illustr ation o f the e fficacy of prayer the ,
mo st memorable ancient examples N or is it .
needful since the experience o f devout and

,
e m inently rational men in latter times has , ,
supplie d numerous striking instances of impor

tant advantages so c onnec t ed in time and cir
c u m st a n c e with prayer that with good reason
,
they regarded the m as the evident result o f i t *

.
This experience taken in confirmation o f the

,
assurances o f the Bible warrants ample ex ,
e c t a t i o n s o f the e ff
i cacy o f an earnest and
p
habi t ual devotion ; provided still as I n e e d not ,
Her e shall n o t b e misund e rs t oo d t o b eli eve the mul

I
t i t u de o f s tori e s which h a v e b een t old by d elud e d fancy o r ,
dete s t a bl e im p os tu r e .
remind you that this mean be employed a s the

,
rand auxiliary o f the other means and n ot

g ,
alon e till all the rest are exhausted o r i mpr a c

,
ti c a b l
e
. And no doubt any man w ho S houl d ,
amidst his serious proj ects become sensible , ,
with any thing approaching to an adequate

apprehension o f his dependence on G od would
, ,
far more earnestly and constantly press o n this

great resource than is common eve n among
good men . He would as little without it , ,
promise himself any distinguished success as a ,
mari ner would expect to reach a distant coast

by means o f his sails S pread in a stagnatio n
of the air I have intimated my fear that it
.
-
is visionary to e x pect an unusual success in

the human administration of religion ; unless
there were unusual omens ; now a n emphatical
spirit o f prayer would be such an omen ; and
the individual w ho should solemnly resolve to
make proof o f its last possible efficacy might ,
probably find himself becoming a much more

prevailing agent of good in his little sphere .
And if the whole or the greater number of the

, ,
disciples of C hristianity were with an earnest

, ,
unfailing resolution of each to combine that ,
Heaven S hould not withhold o n e single i n flu

ence which the very ut most e ffort of conspiring
and persevering supplication would obtain it ,
would be the S ign o f a revolution o f the world

being at hand
M y dear friend it is quite time t o dismiss thi s
,
2 46 O N T HE A PPL I C ATION OF
whole subj ect ; though it will probably ap pear

to yo u that I have entirely lost and forgotten
the very p u rpose for which I took it up which ,
certainly was to examin e the correctness of

some not unusual applications o f the epithet
R omantic It seemed necessary first to de
.
, ,
scribe with some ex emplific a ti on s the cha

, ,
r a c t e ri st i c s of that extravagance which ought
to be given up to the charge The attempt

.
to do this has led me into a length of detail

,
far beyond all expectation The intention was .

,
next to display and to vindicate in an extended

, ,
illustration several schemes Of life and models

, ,
o f character ; but I will not prolong the subj ect .
I shall only just specify in concluding two , ,
o r three of those modes of feeling and action
on which the censure of being romantic has

improperly fallen .
O ne is a disposition to take hig h examples

,
fo r imitation I have condemned the e x t ra v a

.
gance which presumes o n rivalling the career o f

action and success that has been the appoint
ment o f so me individuals so extraordinary as t o
,
be the most conspicuous phenomena o f history .
B u t this delirium o f ambitious presu mption is

distinguishable enough from the more tempe
rate yet warm aspiration t o attai n some resem
,
blance to examples which it will require the

,
most strenuous and sustained exertion to r e

semble . A way with any such sobriety and
rationality as would repress the disposition t o
TH E E P ITHET R OMAN TI C . 2 47
con template with a generous emulation the

class of men who have been ill u strious fo r
their excellence and their wisdom ; to observe
with interested self reference the principles tha t
-
animated them and the process o f their attain

ments ; and to fix the standard of ch aracter
high by keeping these exemplars in view A .
man may without a presumptuous estimate of

,
his talents or the expectation of passing through

,
any course of unexampled events indulge the ,
ambition to resemble and follow in the essen ,
tial determination of their ch a racters those ,

’
sublime S p ir its who are n o w r e m ov e d to the

kingdom where they are to shine as the stars
for ever and ever and those yet on earth
,
who are evide n tly on their way to t he same

illustrious end .
A striking departure from t he order o f cus

t om i n the rank to which a man b elongs ,
exhibited in his devoting the privileges of that

rank to a mode o f excellence which the gene
rality of the people who compose it never
dreamed to be a duty will by them be deno
,
m i n a t e d and scouted as romantic They will .
wonder why a man w ho ought to be like

themselves should affect quite a di fferent style
,
o f life , a deserter and alien fro m the reign o f

fashion should attempt un u sual plans o f doing
,
good and sh o uld put himself under some ex

,
t r a o r di n a r y discipline o f virtue — while ye t every
point in his system may be a dictate o f reason

2 48 ON TH E A PPL I C ATION O F
and consci ence speaking in a voice heard by

,
hi m alone .
The irreligious will apply this epithet to the

determination to make and the zeal to i n c u l ,
cate great exertions and sacrifices fo r a purely

,
moral ideal reward S ome gross and palpable .
prize is requisite to excite their energies ; and

therefore self denial repaid by co n science b en e fi
-
,
cence without fame and the delight o fresembling

,
the D ivinity appear visionary felicities

, .
The epithet will be i n readiness for applica

tion to a man who feels it an imperious duty
t o realize as far as possible and as soon as
, ,
possible every thing which he approves and

,
applauds in theory You will often hear a

.
circle o f perhaps respectable persons agreeing

entirely that this o n e thing spoken o f is a
worthy principle of action and that other an ,
estimable quality and a third a sublime ex

,
c el le n c e w ho would be amazed at your fana

,
,
t i c i sm if you were to adjure them thus ! My “

friends from this moment yo u are bound from
, ,
this moment we are all bound o n peril o f the ,
displeasure of G od to realize in ourselves to

, ,
the last possible extent all that w e have thus ,
in good faith deliberately applauded Through .
so me fatal defect o f conscience there is a very ,
general feeling regarding the high order o f

,
moral and religious attain m ents that though ,
it is a happy exaltation t o possess them yet ,
i t i s perfectl y s a fe to stop contented where w e

TH E E P ITHET R OMA NTI C . 2 49
are o n a fa r lower ground O n e is confounded

,
.
to hear irritable persons praising a character

o f self com m and ; persons w ho trifle away their
-
days professing to admire the instances o f a

strenuous improvement of time ; rich persons
lavishing fin e words on examples of b e n e fi
cence which they know to be far surpassing
themselves thoug h perhaps with no larger
,
means ; and all expressing deep respect for the

men who have been most eminent in piety
and yet all this apparently with the ease o f a
perfect freedom from any admonition o f con
science that they are themselves standing in the
,
very serious predicament o f having to choose ,
whether they will henceforward earnestly and

practically aim at t hese higher attainments o r ,
resign themselves to be found wanting in the

day of final account .
F inally in the application of this epithet but

, ,
little allowance is generally made for the great

’
di fference bet w een a man s entertaining high
designs and hopes fo r himself alone and his ,
entertaining them relative to other persons It .
might be very romantic fo r a man to reckon o n

e ffecting such designs with respect to others as ,
it may be reasonable to meditate for himself If .
he feels the powerful habitual impulse of c o n v i c

tion urging and an imating him to the highest
,
attainments o f wisdom and excellence he may ,
perhaps justly hope to approach them himself ,
though it w ould be most extravagant to extend

2 50 O N T HE E P ITH E T R OMAN TI C .
the same hope to all the persons to whom he

may wish and try to impart the impulse I .
specify the strictly personal attainments w isdom ,
and ex c ellen ce for the reason that besides the

, ,
di fference in probability of realization between

, ,
large schemes and hopes as indulged by a man

for himself or entertained for others there is ,
a distinctio n to be made in respect to such

as he might entertain only for himself His .
extraordinary plans and expectations for himself

might be o f such a nature as to depend o n
other persons for their accomplishment and ,
might therefore be as extravagant as if other

persons alone persons in no degree at his
,
command had been their Object O r o n the

, .
,
contrary they may be o f a kind which shall not

,
need the c o operation o f other persons and

-
,
may be realized independently of their will .
The design of acquiri n g immense riches or ,
becoming the commander o f an army o r a ,
person o f high O fficial importance in national

affairs must in its progress be dependent o n
,
other men in incalculably t o o many points and

ways fo r a considerate man to presume that he
shall be fortun a te in the m all But the schemes
.
Of eminent personal improvements dep ending ,
comparatively little on the will capacity or con , ,
duct of other persons are romantic only when

, ,
there is some fatal intellectual or moral defect

in the individual himself who has adopted them .
E S SA Y IV .
O N SO M E O F T HE CAU SES BY W HI C H E VA NG E L I C A L
R EL I G I O N HA S BEEN R ENDE R ED U NA CCEP T A B L E
T O P ER SO NS O F CU L TI VA TED TA STE .
LE T TER 1 .
MY D E A R F R I EN D ,
I T is striking to observe under what various

,
forms o f character men are passing through this

introductory seas on o f their being to enter o n its ,
fu ture greater stage S ome o n e o f these it may

.
,
be presumed is more eligible than all the rest

,
fo r proceeding to that greater stage ; and to as

certai n which it is must be felt by a wise m a n
,
the most important O f hi s inquiries We my .

,
friend are persuaded that the inquiry if made

, ,
in good faith will soon ter minate and that the

, ,
christian character will be selected as the only

o n e in which it i s wise to a dvance to the entrance
,
o n the endless futurity Indeed the assurance

.
o f o u r per m anent existence itself rests but o n
that authority w hich dictates also the right i n

t r o du c t i o n to it
.
2 52 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
The christian character is S imply a con

formity t o the whole religion o f C hrist This i m .
plies a cordial admission o f that whole religion

but it meets o n the contrary in m any minds
, ,
not denying it to be a communication from G o d ,
a di sposition to S hrink from some o f its peculiar

“
properties and distinctions or an e ffort to di s
,
p lace o r neutralize them I am n o t n o w to

.
learn that the substantial cause of this is that

repugnance in human nature to what is purely
divine which revelation affirms and all history
, ,
proves and which perhaps some o f the humi

,
lia ti n g points of the christian s ystem are more

adapted to provoke than any other thing that
,
bears the divine impress N or do I need to be

.
told how much this chief cause has aided and

aggravated the power o f those subordinate ones ,
which may have conspired to prevent the su c

cess o f evangelical religion among a class o f
persons that I have in view I mean those of ,
refined taste whose feelings concerning what is

, ,
great and excellent have been disciplined to

,
accord to a literary o r philosophical standard .
B u t eve n had there been less o f this natural

aversion in such minds o r had there been none
, ,
some o f the causes which have acted o n them

would have tended necessarily to produce an
, ,
e ffect injurious to the claims o f pure C hristianity .
— I wish to illustrate several o f these causes

,
after briefly describing the antichri stian feelings

in which I have observed tha t effect .
TO E VAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 2 53
It is true that many persons Of taste have ,
without any formal disbelief of the christian

truth so little concern about religion in any
,
shape that the unthinking dislike to the evan

,
eli c a lprinciples occasionally rising and passing

g ,
among their transient moods of feeling w ith no ,
distinctness of apprehension hardly deserves to ,
be described These are to be assign ed what

.
,
ever may be their faculties o r improvements to ,
the multitude of t r ifler s relatively to the gravest

concerns on whom we can pronounce only
,
the general condemnation of irreligion their ,
feelings not being sufficiently marked for a more

discriminative censure But the aversion is of a
.
more defined character as it exists in a mind ,
t oo serious for the follies of the world and the

neglect o f all religion and in which the very
,
sentiment itself becomes at times the subj ect o f

, ,
painful and apprehensive reflection from an i n ,
ternal monition that it is an unhappy symptom ,
if the truth sho uld be that the religiou s system

which excites the displacency has really the ,
sanction Of divine revelation If a person in this.
condition o f mind disclosed himself t o you he ,
would describe how the elevated sentiment ,
inspired by the contemplation o f other sublime

subj ects is confounded and sinks mortified into
, ,
the heart when this new subj ect is presented to

,
his view It seems to require almost a total

.
change of his mental habits to admit this as

the most interesting subj ect of all while yet he ,
dares not rej ect the authority which supports

its claim The dignity o f religion as a ge
.
,
neral and refined S peculation he may have ,
lo n g acknowledged ; but it appears to him

as if it lost that a spect of dignity in taking ,
the specific form of the evangelical system ;

just as if an ethereal being were reduced to
combine his r ad iance and subtility with an
earthly conformation He is aware that reli
.
gion in the abstract o r in other words the

, ,
principles which constitute the Obligatory rela

tion o f all intelligent creatures to the S upreme
Being must receive a special modification by
, ,
means o f the addition o f some other principles ,
in order to become a peculiar religious economy

fo r a particular race of those creatures espe ,
c i al ly for a race low in rank and corrupted

in nature And the christian revelation assigns
.
the principles by which this religion in the

abstract the religion o f the universe is thus
, ,
m odifi ed into the peculiar form required for

the nature and condition o f man But when .
he contemplates some o f these principles ,
framed o n an assumption and conveying a ,
plai n declaration o f an ignominio u s and de

,
l o r a bl
e condition o f o ur nature he can hardly
p ,
help regretting that even if o u r condition be so

,
degraded the system o f our relations with the

,
D ivinity though constituted according and in

,
adaptation to that degraded state is not an ,
economy o f a brighter character The gospel .

TO EVA NG E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 2 55
in deed appears to him like the image in N ebu

’
c ha dn e z z a r s dream it is refulgent with a head
of gold ; the sublime truths or facts of reli gious
t heory which stand antecedent a n d superior
,
to every pe c u lia ri ty of the special disp e nsations

x
o f religion are luminously exhibited ; but the

,
doctrines which are added as distin ctive of the

peculiar circumstances of the christian economy ,
appear less S plendid and as if descending to,
wards the qualities o f iron and clay If he must .
admit this portion o f the system as a part o f the

truth his feelings amount t o the wish that a
,
different theory ha d been tr u e It is therefore .
with a degree o f S hrinking reluctance that he

sometimes adverts to the ideas peculiar to the
gospel . He would willingly lose this specific
sc heme o f doctrines in a more general theory of
religion instead o f resigning every wider spe c u
,
lation for this scheme in which G od has com ,
prised and distinguished by a very peculiar

,
character a ll the religion which he wills to be

,
known o r to be useful to o u r world It is not

, ,
.
a welcome conviction that the gospel in stead , ,
o f being a modification of religion exhibited

in compe tition with others and subject to choice ,
o r rej ection accordi n g to his taste i s p e r e mp ,
t or il
y and exclusively t he religion for our l a psed
race ; insomuch that he who has not a religion

conformed to the model in the New Testament
d o es not stand in the only right and safe rela
tion to the S upre me Being He su ffers himself-
.
2 56 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
to pass the year in a dissatisfied uncertainty ,
and a criminal neglect o f deciding whether ,
his cold reception o f the S pecific views of

C hristianity will render unavailing his regard
for those more general truths respecting the ,
D eity moral rectitude and a future state

, , ,
which are ne cessarily at the basis of the system .
He i S a fra i d to examine and deter mine the

*
question whether he may with impunity rest

,
in a scheme composed o f the general princi

ples Of wisdo m and virtue selected from the ,
C hristian oracles and the speculations o f phi

lo so phy harmonized by reaso n and embellished
, ,
by taste If it were safe he would much

.
,
rather be the dignified professor o f such a

philosophic refinement on C hristianity than ,
yield himself a submissive and wholly conformed

disciple o f Jesus C hrist This refined system
would be clear o f the undesirable peculiarities
o f christi n doctrine and it would also allow
a ,
some di fferent ideas o f the nature o f moral

excellence He would n o t be so explicitly
.
condemned fo r indulging a disposition to a d

mire and imitate some o f those models of c ha
r a c t e r which however opposite t o pure ch ristian
,
excellence the world has always idolized

, .
I wish I could display i n the most forcible

,
m anner the considerations which S how how

,
far such a state o f mind is wro n g But my .
Object is t o remark o n a few o f the causes

,
which may have contributed to it .

T o E VAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 2 57
I do not for a moment place among these

, ,
causes that continual dishonour which the

religion o f C hrist ha s su ffered through the
corrupted institutions and the depraved cha ,
r a c t er o f individuals o r com m unities o f what ,
is called the christian world S uch a man as .
I have supposed understands what the dictates

,
and tendency of that religion really are so far ,
at least that in contemplating the bigotry

, ,
persecution hypocrisy and worldly ambition

, , ,
which ha v e been forced as an Opprobrious a d

C hristianity d uring all ages o f its
j un ct on
occupancy o n earth his mind dissevers by a , ,
decisive glance o f thought all these evils and , ,
the pretended C hristians wh o are accountable

for the m from the religion which is a s distinc t
,
from the m a s the S pirit that pervades all things

is pure from matter and fro m si n In his view .
,
these odious things and these wicked men that ,
have arrogated and de file d the christian name ,
S ink o u t o f sight through a chasm like ! orah ,
D athan and Abiram and leave the camp an d

, ,
the cause holy though they leave the numbers

,
small .It needs so very moderate a share o f

discernment i n a protestant country at least
, ,
where a well kno wn volume exhibits the religion

-
itself genuine and entire as it came from hea

,
ven to perceive the essential disunion and

,
antipathy between it and all these abominations ,
that to take them as congenial and inseparable ,
betrays in every instance a detestable wan t

, ,
S
2 58 ON T HE AVE RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
of principle or a most wretched want of sense

, .
The defect o f cordiality toward the religion

o f C hrist , i n the persons that I am accusing ,
does n o t arise from this debility or this injustice .
They would not be less equitable to chris

t i a n i t y than they would to some estimable man ,
whom they would not esteem the less because

villains that hated him knew however so wel l
, , ,
the excellence of his name and character as ,
gladly to avail themselves o f them in any way

they could to aid their schemes or to S helter ,
their crime s — But indeed these remarks are

n o t strictly to the purpose ; S ince the prejudice
which a weak o r corrupt mind receives from

such a view o f the christian history operates , ,
as we see by facts not discriminatively against

,
particular characteristics o f C hristianity but ,
against the whole system and leads toward a,
denial o f its divine origin O n the contrary .

,
the class of persons now in question fully admit

its divine authority but feel a repugnan ce to
,
some o f i t s most pec uliar distinctions These .
peculiarities they may wish as I have said to , ,
refin e away ; but in moments o f impartial se

r i o u sn e ss
, are constrained to admit something
very near at least to the conviction o f their ,
being inseparable from the sacred economy .
This however fails t o subdue o r conciliate the

heart ; and the dislike to some o f the parts has
often an influence o n the a ffections i n regard to
the whole That portion o f the system which
.
T O E VAN G EL I C A L R E L I G I ON . 259
they think they c ou ld admire is admitted with ,
the coldness of a mere S peculative assent from ,
the e ffect o f the intru di ng recollection o f its

be i ng combined with something else which they
cannot admire Those distinctions from which
.
they recoil are chie fly comprised in that vie w

,
o f christianity which among a large propor

,
tion of the professors of it is denominated in ,
a somewhat specific sense E vangeli cal ; and ,
therefore I have a dept e d this denomination

in the title of this letter C hristianity taken in .
this vie contains a humiliating estimate of

w —
the moral condition o f man as a being radically ,
corrupt the doctrine of redemption from that

—
condition by the merit and su fferings o f C hrist

“ the doctrine o f a di Ii i n e influence bei ng n e
c e ssa r y to tran sfor m the C haracter o f t he human
mind in order to prepare it for a higher station

,
in the universe and a grand moral peculiarity

—
by which it insists o n humility penitence and , ,
a separation from the spirit and habits of the

world I do not see any necessity for a more
—.
forma l and a mplified description Of that mode

o f understanding christianity which has a o
quired the distinctive epithet E vangelical ; and
which is not to say the least more di sc ri m
, i ,
natively designated among the sc o ffin g part o f

the wi ts critics and theologians o f the day
, , ,
by the terms F anatical C alvinistical M etho , ,
di st i c a l .
I may here notice that though the greater ,
S 2
260 ON TH E AVE R S ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
share of the injurious influences on which I

may remark operates m ore pointedly against
the peculiar doc tr i n es Of christianity yet some ,
o f them are perniciously e f fectual against its

mor a l sentiments and laws which are of a,
tenour corresponding to the principles it pre

scribes to our faith I would Observe also that
.
,
though I have specified the more refined and

intellectual class Of minds as indisposed to the
,
religion of C hrist by the causes on which I m a y

comment and though I keep them chiefly in
,
view yet the influence o f some o f these

,
causes extends in a degree to many persons

o f subordin a te mental rank
LE T TE R I I .
IN the view Of an intelligent and honest

mind the religion o f C hrist stands as clear o f
all connexion with the corruption o f m e n and ,
churches and ages as when it w a s first r e

, ,
vealed I t retains its purity like M oses in

.
E gypt or D aniel in Babylon or the S aviou r

, ,
of the world himself while he mingled with

scribes and pharisees o r publicans and S in
,
ners But though it thus instantly a n d totally

.
T o EVAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 26 1
separates itself from all appearan ce o f relation

to t he vices of bad men a degree o f e ffort may
,
be required in order to display i t o r to view ,
it in an equally perfect separat ion from the

weakness o f good o n es It is in reali ty no
.
more identified with the on e than with the

other ; its essential subli mity is as incapable o f
being reduced to littleness as i t s purity is of,
uniting with vice But it may have a vital c o n

'
n ex i o n wi th a weak mind while it necessarily

,
disowns a wicked o n e ; and the qualiti es o f

that mind with which it confes sedly unites it self ,
will much more seem to adher e to it tha n ,
o f that with which all its principles are plainly
in antipathy It will be more natural to take

.
those persons who are acknowledged t he re a l -

r
subj ects of its influence a s ill u strations o f its

,
n ature than those o n whom it is the heaviest

,
reproach that they pretend to be its frien ds .
The perception o f i t s nature and dignity m ust

be clear and absolute i n the man who can
,
observe it under the appearance it acquires in

intimate combination with the thoughts feel ,
ings and language o f i t s di sciples withou t ever

, ,
losing sight o f its o w n essential qualities and

lustre . N o p ossible asso ciat ions indeed can
diminish the grandeur of some parts of the
christian system The doctrine of immortali ty
. ,
fo r instance cannot be reduced to take even

,
a transient appearance o f littleness by the ,
meanes t o r most uncouth words an d images

that shall ever be employed to represent it .
But some other things in the system have

n ot the same obvious philosophic dignity ;
and these are capable o f acquiring from the ,
mental defects o f their believers such associa ,
tions as w ill give a character much at variance

with ou r ideas o f magnificence to so much ,
as they constitute o f the evangelical economy .
O ne o f the causes therefore which I mean t to

notice as having excited in person s o f taste
,
a senti ment unfavourable to the reception o f

evangel ical religion is that this is the religion
, ,
o f m any weak and uncultivated minds .
The schools of philosophy have been com

posed of men of superior faculties and exten
sive accomplishments w ho could sustain by
, ,
eloquence and capacious thought the dignity ,
o f the favourite themes ; so that the proud
distinctions Of the disciples and advocates a p

p ea r e d as the attributes o f the doctrines T he .
adepts could attract refined and aspiring spirits

by proclaiming that the t emple o f t heir god
,
dess was not profaned by being a rendezvous

for vulgar men O n the contrary it is the
.
,
b en e fic en t distinction o f the gospel that though ,
it is o f a magnitude to interest and to surpass

angelic investigation ( and therefore assuredly
,
to pour contempt o n the pride of human intel

lige n c e rejecting it fo r i t s mea n n ess ) it is yet ,
most expressly sent to the class which philo

sophers have always despised And a good
.
TO E VAN G E L I C A L R E L I G I ON . 26 3
man feels it a cause o f gratefu l j oy that ,
a communication has come from heaven ,
adapted to e ffect the happiness of multitudes in

spite o f natural debility o r neglected education .
While he observes that confined capacities do

n o t preclude the entrance and the permanent ,
residence o f that sacred combination o f truth

,
and power which finds no place in the minds o f

,
many philosophers and wits and statesmen he

i s grateful to him who has
,
hidden these things “ , ,
from the wise and prudent and revealed them

”
,
to babes.
But it is not to be denied that the natural

consequence follows C ontracted and obscured
.
in its abode the inhabitant will appear as the

, ,
su n through a misty sky with but little o f i t s

,
m agnificence to a man who can be content

,
to receive his impression of the intellectual

C haracter of the religion from the form of
its m an ifestation made from the minds o f its
disciples ; and in doing so can indolen t ly and
, ,
perversely allow himself to regard i t s weakest

display as it s truest image In taking such a .
dwelling the religion seems to imitate what

,
w a s prophesied o f its Author that when he , ,
should be seen there would be no beauty

,
that he should be desired This humiliation .
is inevitable ; for unless miracles were wrought ,
to impart t o the less intellectual disciples an

enlarged power of thinking the evangelic truth ,
must accommodate itself to the dimensions and

26 4 ON TH E AVE RSI O N O F MEN OF T A ST E
habitudes of their minds And perhaps the

.
exhibitions o f it will come forth wit h more o f

the character o f t hose minds than o f its o w n ,
celestial distinctions ! insomuch that if there

were no declaration o f the sacred system but ,
in the form s o f conception and language in

which they give it forth even a candid man,
might hesitate to admit it as the most glorious

gift o f heaven Happily he finds i t s quality
.
,
declared by other oracles ; but while from

them he receives it in its o wn character he i s ,
tempted to W 1 sh he could detach it from all

the associations which he feels it has acquired
from the humbler exhibition And he does .
not greatly wonder that other men o f the same

intellectual habits and with a less candid soli
,
c i t u de to receive with simplicity every thing that
really co m es from G od should have admitted

,
a prejudice from these associations .
They would not make this impression o n a

man already devoted to the religion o f Jesus
C hrist N o passion that has become p r e do mi
.
nant is ever cooled by any thing which can

be associated with its obj ect while that object ,
itself continues unaltered The passion is even

.
willin g to verify its power and the merit o f ,
that which interests it by sometimes letting

,
the un pleasing associations surround and touch

the object for an instant and then chasing ,
them away ; and it welcomes with augmented

attachment that obj ect com i ng forth from the m
To E V ANG E LIC AL R E LIGI ON . 26 5
unstained ; as happy spirits at the last day will

receive with j oy their bodies rec overed from
the dust in a state of purity that will leave
every thing belonging to the dust behind A .
zealous christian exults to feel in contempt of

ho w many counteracting circumstances he can
still love his religion ; and that this counter
actio n by excitin g his understanding to make
,
a more defined estimate of its excellence has ,
resulted in his lov 1n g 1 t the more It has n o w .
in some degree even pre occupied those avenues

-
o f taste and imagination by which alone the

,
ungracious e ffect o f associations could have

been admitted The thing itself is close to his
.
mind and therefore the causes which would

,
have misrepresented it by coming betwe e n have ,
lost their power As he hears the sentiments

.
o f sincere christianity from the weak and illite
rate he says to himself All this is indeed

,
—
little b u t I am happy to feel that the subj ect

,
itself is great and that this humble display of

,
it cannot make it appear to me di fferent from

what I absolutely know it to be ; any more
than a clouded atmosphere can diminish my
idea of the grandeur of the heavens after I ,
have so often beheld the pure azure and the ,
host of stars I am glad that it has in this

.
man all the consolatory and all the purifying

e fficacy which I wi sh that my more elevated
,
vie w s of it may not fail to have in me This is .
the chief end for which a divine communication

266 ON TH E AV E RS IO N O F MEN or TA S TE
can have been gran ted to the world If this .
religion instead o f being designed to make its

,
disciples pure and happy amidst their littleness ,
had required to receive lustre from their mental

dignity it would have been sent to none o f u s
, .
At least not to me ; fo r though I would be

,
gratefu l for my intellectual advantage over my

uncultivated fellow christian I am conscious -
,
that the noblest forms o f thought in which I

apprehend o r could represent the subj ect do
, , ,
but contract its amplitude do but depress i t s ,
sublimity Those superior spirits w ho are said

.
to rej oice over the first proof o f t he e fficacy of

divine truth have rej oiced over its introduction
, ,
even in so humble a form into the mind o f ,
this man and probably se e in fact but little

,
difference in point o f speculative greatness

, ,
between his manner o f viewing and illustrating

it and mine If Jesus C hrist could be o n
.
earth as before he would receive t his disciple

, ,
and benignantly approve for i t s operation o n ,
the heart that faith in hi s doctrines which

, ,
men o f taste might be tempted t o despise for

its want of intellec t ual refinement An d since .
all his true disciples are destined to attain great

ness at leng t h the time is coming when each
, ,
pious though now contracted mind will do

, ,
j ustice to this high subj ect M eanwhile such .

,
as this subj ect will appear to the intelligence

o f immortals and such as it will be expressed
,
in their eloquence such it really is n o w ; and ,

TO EV A N G E LICAL RELIGI ON . 26 7
I should deplore the perversity o f my mind if ,
I felt more disposed t o take the character of

‘
the religion from that style o f i t s exhibition

in which it appears humiliated than from that ,
in which I am assured it will be sublime If .

,
while we are all advancing to meet the reve

la ti o n s o f eternity I have a more vivid and
,
c o m r e he n sw e idea than these less privileged

p
C hristians of the glory Of o u r religion; as dis
,
played i n the N ew Testament an d if I can ,
much more delightfully participate the senti

ments which devout genius has uttered in the
contemplation Of it I a m therefore called upon
,
to excel them as much in devotedness to this

religion as I have a more luminous view o f
,
its excellence .
L et the spirit of the evangelical system once

hav e the ascendency and it may t hus defy the
,
threatening mischief of disagreeable associations

with i t s principles ; as the angels in the house
o f L ot repelled the base assailants But it .
requires a most extraordinary cogency of con

v i c ti on
, and indeed more than simple i n t elle c
tual conviction to Obtain a cordial reception
,
for these principles if such associations are

,
in prepossession o f the m ind And that they .
should be so in the man o f taste is n o t ,
wonderful if you consider how early how Often

, , ,
and by what diversities of the same general

cause they may have been made o n him As
,
.
the gospel comprises an ample assemblage o f

26 8 ON TH E A VE RSI O N OF M EN O F TAST E
intellectual views and as the greater numbe r

,
of christians are 1 n e v rt a bly incapable o f pre

senting the m in a dignified character o f con
c e ti o n and language from the same causes
p ,
which disqualify them to do such justice to

o t her i ntellectual subj ects it is n o t improbable ,
that far the greater number of expressions

w hich he has heard in his whole life have been ,
utterly below the subj ect O bviously this is a .
very serio u s circumstance ; fo r if he had heard

a s much spoken o n any other subj ect of high
intellectual rank a s moral philosophy or poetry

, , ,
o r rhetoric in whic h perhaps he now takes

,
great interest and if a similar proportion o f

,
what he had heard had been as much below

the subj ect it is probable that he and the
,
subj ect would have remained strangers And .
it is a melancholy deposi tion against the human

heart that fe w er unfavourable associations will
,
cause it to recoil from the gospel than from ,
an
y other subj ect which comes with high
claims .
The prejudicial influence o f mental deficiency

o r meanness associated with evangelical do c
trine may have beset him in many ways
, .
Fo r instance he has met with some zealous

,
christians w ho n o t only were very slightly

,
acquainted wit h the evidences o f the truth ,
and the illustrations of the reasonableness Of ,
their religion but who actually felt n o i n

,
t e r e st in the inquiry P erhaps more than o n e

.
TO EV A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 26 9
i n dividual attempted to deter him from pursuing

it by suggesting that in quiry either implies
,
doubt which was pronounced a criminal state

,
o f mind , o r will probably lead t o it as a judg ,
m ent o n the profane inquisitiveness which o n ,
such a subj ect is n o t satisfied with implicitly

,
believing An attempt to examine the foun

.
dation would b e likely to end in a wish to

demolish the structure .
He may sometimes have heard the discourse

O f sincere c hristians whose religion involved
,
n o intellectual exercise and strictly speakin g

, , ,
no su bj ec t o f intellect Separ a t ely fr o m their

.
feelings it had no definition no topics n o

, , ,
distinct succession O f views An d if he o r .
some other person attempted to talk b n some

part Of the religion i tsel f as a thing definable
,
and important independently O f the feelings

,
O f any individual and as consisting in a vast

,
c o n geries of ideas concerning the divine go

,
v er n m e n t O f the world the relations of rational

,
creatures with the C re a tor the general n ature ,
o f the economy disclosed by the M essiah the ,
system of moral principles and rules and the ,
greatness of the future prospects o f man they ,
seemed to have n o concern in t ha t religion and ,
impatiently interrupted such discourse with the

Observation That is n o t experience
— .
O thers he has heard continually rec urring to

two or three points of opinion adopted perhaps ,
in servile addiction to a system o r perhaps by ,

2 70 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF ME N OF TA S TE
’
some chance seizure o f the indi v idual s pre
ference and asserted to be the life and essence
,
o f christianity These opinions he has heard

.
zealously though not argumentatively defended ,
even when they were not attacked or ques

ti on e d . If they wer e called in question it was ,
an evidence n o t less o f depraved principle than

Of perverted j u dgment All other religious
.
truths were represented as deriving their a u

t ho ri t y and importance purely from these and ,
as being so wholly included and subordinate ,
that it is needless and almost i mpertinent to

give them a distinct attention The neglect .
O f constantly repeating and enforcing these

opinions w a s said to be the chief cause of the
comparative failure o f the e fforts to promote
christianity in the world and of the decay of
,
particular religious societi es Though he per .
haps could n ot perceive how these points were

essential to christianity even admitting them to
,
be true they were made the sole and decisive

,
standard for distinguishing between a genuine

and a false profession o f it And perhaps they .
were applied in eager haste to any sentiment

which be happened to express concerning reli
gion as a test o f its quality and a proof o f its
, ,
corruptness .
Instance s may have occurred in which he

has Observed some o n e idea o r doctrine that ,
w a s not the distinctive peculiarity o f any sys

tem to have S O monopolized the mind that
, ,
TO EV A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 271
every conversation from whatever point o f the

,
compass it st arted wa s certain to find its w a y

,
to the favourite topic while he w a s sometimes

,
fretted , sometimes amu sed never much i m ,
proved by Observing its instinctive progress

,
to the appointed place If his situation and .
con n exions rendered it unavoidable for him

ofte n to hear this unfortunate m anner o f di s
coursing o n religion his mind pr o b a bly fellinto
,
a fault very similar to that Of his well meaning -
a cquaintance As this worthy man could n ever

.
speak on the subject without soon bringing the

whole o f it down to one particular point so ,
the indocile and recusant auditor became u n

able to think o n the subject without adverting
immediately to the narrow illustration O f it
exhibited by this o n e man ; insomuch that this
image Of combined penury and conceit became
established i n hi s mind as representative of the
‘
subj ect In consequence of this connexion o f

.
ideas he perhaps becam e disinclined to think

,
o n the subject at all ; o r if he was disposed or

,
constrained to think o f it he was so averse ,
to let his views o f christianity thus converge to

the littleness o f a point that he laboured to ,
exp and them till they lost all specifically evan

g eli c a l distinctions in the wideness of generality
and abstraction .
Again the maj ority o f christians are pre

,
cluded by their condition in life from any

, ,
considerable acquirement of general knowledge .

2 72 ON T HE A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
It would be unpardonable in the more culti

v a t e d man not to make the large allowance
‘
fo r the natural e ffect Of this on the extent o f

their religious i deas But it S hall have hap .
pened that he has met with numbers who had

,
no inconsiderable means both in the w a y o f ,
money j udging by their unnecessary expenses

, ,
and o f leisure judging by the quantity o f time

,
consumed in trivial talk o r in needless S leep , ,
to furnish their minds with various information ,
but w ho were quite o n a level in this respect , ,
wit h those o f the humblest rank They never .
even suspected that kno wledge could have any

connexion with religion o r that they could not
be as clearly and comprehensively in possession
o f the great subj ect as a man whose faculties
had bee n exercised and whose extended a o,
quaintance with things would supply an ample

diversity of ideas illustrative o f religion He .
has perhaps even heard t hem m ake a kind

o f merit o f their indi f
ference to knowledge as ,
if it were the proof or the result of a higher

value for religion If there w a s ventured a
.
hint o f reprehensive wonder at their reading

so little and within so very confined a scope it
, ,
would be replied that they thought it e n ough

,
to read the Bible ; as if it were possible for

a person whose mind fixes with inquisitive
atten t ion on what is before him t o read ,
through the Bible without thousands o f such

questions being started in his thoughts as can ,
TO EV A N GE LICAL R E LIGI ON . 2 73
be answere d only fro m sources of information

extraneous to the Bible But he perceived that
.
this rea din g the Bible was no work of inquiring

thought ; and indeed he has commonly found ,
that those who have no wish for any think like

a general improvemen t in knowledge have no ,
disposition for the real business Of thinki n g

even in religion and that their discourse on
,
that subj ect is the exposure o f intellectual

poverty He has seen them live on for a n u m
.
ber o f years conten t with the same confined

views the same meagre list of topics and the
, ,
same uncouth religious lan guage In so con

.
side r a b l e a space o f time the habitual inqui

,
si t i v en e ss after various truth would have given
much more clearness t o their faculti e s and ,
much more precision to the articles of their

belief They might have r a mi fie d the fe w lead
.
ing articles into a rich variety of subordinate

,
principles and important inferences They .
might have learned to place the christian truth

in all those combinations with the other parts
Of o u r knowledge by which it is enabled to
,
present new and striking aspects and to mul ,
t i pl y its arguments to the understanding and ,
its appeals t o the heart They m ight have

.
enriched themselves by rendering nature hi s ,
tory and t he present views of the moral world

, ,
tributary to the i llustration an d the e ffect o f

their religion But they neglected and even
.
,
despised all these means Of enlarging their

,
2 74 ON TH E A VE R SI ON OF M EN O F TA S TE
ideas o f a subj ect which they professed to hold

o f infinite importance Yet perhaps if this .
,
man o f more intellectual habits S howed but

litt le interest in conversing with them on that
subj ect o r seemed intentionally to avoid it this
, ,
was considered as pure aversion to religion ;

and what had been uninteresting to him as
d octrine then b e came revolting as reproof
,
*
.
He may not unfrequently have heard worthy

but illitera te persons expressing their utmost
admiration o f sayings passages in books o r , ,
public discourses which he could n o t help ,
perceiving t o be hardly sense o r to be the ,
dictates Of conceit o r to be common place ,

-
inflated to fustian While o n the other hand .

,
if he has introduced a favourite passage or an ,
admired book they have perhaps acknowledged

,
no perception o f i t s beauty o r expressed a ,
doubt o f its te n dency from its not being in ,
canonical diction O r perhaps they have directly

.
avowed that they could not understand it in a ,
manner plainly implying that ther efor e it could

be Of no value P ossibly when he has expressed
.
his high admiration o f some of the views of the

gospel not ordinarily recognised o r exhibited
, ,
and bearing what I may perhaps call a phi lo so

ph i c a l aspect ( such fo r instance
, as struck the , ,
’
9"
I own wha t I s ai d O f Je sus Chris t s gl a dly r e c eiving
t ha t
o n e o f the humbl e r in t ll e c t u a l or de r for hi s di scipl e

e would ,
“
b b u t li tt l e a pplic a bl e t o som e O f the ch a ra c t er
e t ha t I s
d e sc rib e .
mind of R ousseau ) he has b ee n mortified to

,
find that some peculiar and even sublime dis

,
t in c t i o n s O f the religion of C hrist are lost to

many of his disciples from being of too abstract ,
a kind fo r the apprehension of any but improved

and i ntellectual men .
If he had generally found in those professed

christians whose mental powers and attain ments
were small a candid humility instru c t ing them
, , ,
while expressing their animated gr atitude for

what acquaintance with religion they had been
able to attain and fo r the immortal hopes
,
springing from it to feel that they had b ut a

,
confined View of a subj ect which is of immense

variety and magnitude he might hav e been too ,
much pleased by this amiable temper to b e

much repelled by the defective character of
their con ceptions and expressions But Oft en .
,
on the contrary they may have shown such a

,
complacent assurance of sufficiency in the little

sphere as if it self evidently comprised every
,
-
thing which it is possible or which it is of con ,
sequence for any mind to se e in the christian

,
re ligion They were like persons who should

.
doubt the information that myriads more Of

st ars can be seen through a telescope than they
ever beheld and who s hould have no c u riosity
,
to try .
M any christian s may have appeared t o him

to attach an extremely disproportionate i m
portance to the precise modes of religious
T 2
2 76 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF M EN OF TA S TE
Observances not only in the hour O f controversy

,
respecting them when they are always ex

,
t r a v a ga n tl
y magnified but in the
, habitual
course o f their religious references These .
modes may be either such as are adhered to

by communities and sects of christians perhaps ,
as their respective marks of distinction from

o n e another ; o r a n smaller ceremonial
y p ecu
lia r i t i es devised and pleaded for by particular

,
individuals or families .
C ertain things in the religious habits o f some

christians may have disgusted hi m excessively .
E very thing which could even distantly remind

him o f grimace would inevitably do this ; as
, ,
fo r instance a solemn lifti n g up o f the eyes

, ,
artificial impulses o f the breath grotesque and ,
regulated gestures and postures in religious

exercises an affected faltering of the voice and
, , ,
I might add abrupt religious exclamations in

,
common discourse though they were even bene

,
dictions to the Almighty which he has often ,
heard so ill timed as to have an irreverent and

-
almost a ludicrous e ffect In a man of correct

.
and refined taste the happiest improvement in

,
point of veneration for genuine religion will pr o

duce n o tolerance for such habits No r will the .
dislike to them be lessened by ever SO perfect a

conviction o f the S incere piety o f any Of the
persons w ho have fallen into them I shall be .
justified i n layin g great stress o n this par ticular ;

for I h ave known instances of extreme mischief
T o EV A N GE LICAL R E LIGI ON . 2 77
done to the feelings relative to religion in young ,
persons especially through the continued irrita

,
tion of disgust caused by s u ch displeasing habits

deforming personal piety .
In the conversation O f illiterate christians the

s u pposed man O f taste has perhaps frequently
heard the most unfortunate metaphors and
S imiles e mployed to explain or enforce evan
,
g e li c a l se n timents ; and probabl y if he t w

, enty
times re c ollecte d one of those sentiment s the ,
repulsive figure was sure to recur to his imagi

n ation . If he has heard so many of these that ,
each christian topic has acquired its appropriate

Offe n s1 v e images you can easily conceive what
,
a lively perception o f the importance O f the sub
e c t itself must be requisite to over c om e the

j
disgust o f the associations The feeling a c c o m
.
p a n ying these topics as connected with these

,
distasteful ideas will be somewhat like that

,
which spoils the pleasure of reading a noble

poet V irgil for ins t ance when each admired
, ,
passage recalls the phrases and images into

which it ha s been degraded in that kind O f
imitation denominated tr a v esty It may be .
a dded ,
that the reluctan ce to think o f the su b
e c t because it is connected with these ideas
j ,
strengthens that connexion Fo r often the

.
striving n o t to dwell on the disagreeab le images ,
produces a mischievous reaction by which they

press in more forcibly The tenacity with which
.
ideas adhere to the m ind is in proportion to the

,
2 78 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
degree o f interest whether pleasing or u n

,
ple a si n g with which they a ffect it and an idea

,
cannot well excite a stronger kind of interest

than the earnest wish to escape from it If we .
could cease to di slike it it would soon cease to

,
haunt us It may also be ob se rv e d that the

.
,
infrequency of thinking on the evangelical sub

j ect s, will confirm the i n jurious a s sociations .
The s ame men tal la w prevails in regard to sub

j e c t s as to persons If any .unfortun at e incident ,
o r a n y circumstance of expression or cond u ct ,
displeased us i n our first meeting with a person ,
it will be strongly recalled each time that we see

hi m agai n if w e meet him but seldom ; on t he
,
contrary if our int ercourse b ecome frequent or

,
habitu al su ch a first unpleasing circumstance

, ,
and other s subse quent to it may be forgotten ,

.
This Observation might be o f some use to a ma n

who really wishes to neutralize in his mind the
o ffensive associations with evangelical subj ects ;
as he may be assured that one o f the most
e ffectual means would be t o make those su b ,
e c t s familiar by Often thinking o n them

j .
While r emarking on the e ffect o f unpleasing

images employed to illustrate christian prin
c i pl es
,
I cannot help wishing that religious
teachers had the good taste to avoid amplifying
the metaphors o f an u n dign i fie d order which ,
may have a kind Of coarse fitn ess for illustration

‘
and are perhaps employed in a short and ,
transient wa y in the Bible ,

I shall notice only
.
T o EV A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 2 79
that common o n e in which the benefits and

,
pleasures of religion are represented under the

image O f food I do not recollect that in the
.
S criptures this metaphor is ever drawn to a

gre at length But from the facilit y of the pro
.
ces s it is not strange that it has been amplified

, ,
both in books a n d discourses into the most

,
extended parallel d e scri p ti ons ; exhausting the

dining room O f images and ransacking the
-
,
language for substantives and adj ecti v es to ,
stimulate the spiritual palate . The figure is

combined with so many terms in our language ,
that it will unavoidably occur and the analogy

briefly and simply suggested may sometimes
a ssist the thought without lessening the subj ect .
But it is degrading to S piritu a l ideas t o be ex

t en si v el
y and systematically transmuted I might ,
sa y c o oked
, into sensu a l ones The analogy
.
between meaner and more dignified thin gs

S hould never be pursued further than one or
two points of Obviously us eful ill u stration ; for ,
if it be traced to every particular in which a

resemblance can be found or fancied the meaner
,
thing abdicates its humble o ffice Of merely indi

cating some qualities of the great o n e and ,
becomes formally its representative and equal .
By their being made to touch at all points the ,
meaner is constituted a s c ale to measure and to

limit t he magnitude of the superior and thus ,
the importance o f the o n e shrinks t o the i n sig

n ific a n c e of the other . It will take so me ti me
2 80 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF ME N OF TA S TE
for a man to recover any great degree O f

solemnity in thinking on the delights o r the
supports o f religion aft er he has seen them ,
reduced into all the forms of eating and drink

ing In such detailed analogies it Often hap
.
pens that the most fanciful o r that the coarsest

, ,
points Of the resemblance remain longest in ,
the thoughts When the mind has been taught

.
'
to descend to a low manner o f considering

divine t ruth it will be apt to descend to the
,
lowest There is no such Violent tendency to

.
a bstraction and sublimity in the minds o f the ,
generality of readers and hearers as to render it ,
necessary t o take any great pains for the pur

pose O f retaining t heir ideas in some degree of
alliance with matter .
We are to acknowledge then the serious , ,
disadvantage under which evangelical religion

presents itself to persons o f mental r e fin e
ment with the associations which it has con
,
tracted from its uncultivated and injudicious

professors At the same time it would be
.
,
unjust not to Observe that some christians o f ,
a subordinate intellectual order are distin ,
i she d by such an unassumi n g simplicity by

g u ,
so much rectitude o f conscience and by a ,
piety so warm and even exalted as t o leave ,
a cultivated man convicted Of a great perver

sion o f feeling if the faith Of which these
, ,
are living representatives did not appear to ,
him in stronger attractive association with

T o EV A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 281
their excellence than in repulsive association

,
with their intellectual inferiority But I am

.
su osi n his mind to be in a perverted state

pp g ,
and am fa r from seeking to defen d him This .
supposition however being made I feel no ,
surprise on surveyin g the prevailing mental

,
condition of evangelical communities that this ,
man has acquired an accumulation o f pre

j udices against some o f the distinguishing
features of the gospel P ermitting himself to
.
feel as if the circumstances which thus di

minish or distort an order of christian senti
ments were inseparable from it he i s inclined
, ,
to regret that there should be any divine

sanctions against his framing for himself on ,
the foundation o f some selected prin c i ples in

”
christianity which he cannot but admire but ,
with a qualifying intermixture o f foreign ele

ments a more liberalized scheme Of religion
, .
It was especially un fortunate if in the ,
’
advanced stage o f this man s perhaps highly
cultivated youth while he was exulting in
,
the conscious enlargement of intellect and ,
the quickening and Vivid perceptiveness of

taste b u t w a s still to be regarded as in a
,
degree the subj ect of edu c a t i on it was his lo t

,
to have the principles Of religion exhibited

and inculcated in a repulsive language and
cast of thought by the seniors of his family o r
acquaintance .In that case t he unavoidable
,
frequency of intercourse must have rendered

2 82 ON TH E AVE RSI ON OF M EN OF TA S T E
the counteractive Operation of the unpleasing

circumstances associated with christian truth
, ,
almost incessant And it would naturally b e.
come continually stronger F or each repeti

tion o f that which o ffended his refined mental
habits would incite hi m to value and cherish
,
them the more and to cultivate the m accord

,
ing to a standa rd still more foreign from a ll

congeniality with his instructors These habits .
he began and continued to acqu ire from books

of elegant sentiment o r philosophical specula
tion which he read i n disregard o f the advice
, ,
perhaps to occupy himself much more with

,
works specifically religious T O such literary .
employment a n d amusement he has again and

a gain returned with a delightful rebound from
,
systematic common places whether delivered -

,
in private o r in public instruction ; and has felt

the full contrast between the force lustre and , ,
m en t a l richness brightening an d animating the

,
moral speculations o r poetical visions o f ge

nius and the manner in which the truths o f
,
the gospel had been conveyed He w a s not .
serious and honest enough to make when in ,
retirement any deliberate trial o f abstracting

,
these truths from the vehicle and combination

in which they were thus unhapp i ly se t forth ,
and in a measure disguised in order to see ,
what they would appear in a better form .
This change Of form he was competent to ~
e ffect or if he w a s not he had but a very

, , ,
small portion of that mental superiority o f ,
which he was congratulating himself that his

di sg ust s were an evidence But his sense of .
t he duty of doing this was perhaps less c o

gent from his perceiving that the evangelical
,
doctrines were inculcated by hi s relations with

no less deficiency of the mea ns of provi ng
them tru e t han of rendering them interesting ;
,
an d he could easily discern that his i n s tructors
ha d received the articles of their faith i m pli

c itl from a class of teachers or the standard
y ,
creed of a religious commun ity without even ,
perhaps a subsequent exercise of rea soning to

confirm what they had thus adopted They .
believ ed these articles through the habit of

hearing them and maintained t hem b y the
,
m
habit of believing them The recoil o f his

.
feelings , therefore did not alarm hi s con

,
science with the apprehension that i t might

be absolutely the truth o f G od that u nder , ,
this u ninviting form he w a s loath to embrace

,
.
Unaided b y such an impression already ex

i sti n g and unarmed with a force of argument
,
to work conviction the seriousness perhaps

, ,
so m etim es harsh seriousness of his friends , ,
rei terating the assertion of his mind being in

a fatal condition till he should think and feel
,
exactly a s they did was little likely to c o n

,
ciliate his repugnance When sometimes their .
a dmoniti ons took the mild or pathetic tone ,
his respe ct for their piety a n d his gratitude ,

2 84 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF M EN OF TA S T E
for their affectionate solicitude had perhaps ,
a momentary e ffect to make him earnes t ly

wish he could renounce his intellectual fas
t i di o u sn e ss and adopt in pious Simplicity all
,
their feelings and ideas But as the c o n .
tracted Views the rude figures and the mix

, ,
ture o f systematic and illiterate lan guage ,
recurred his mind would again revolt and

, ,
compel him to sa y This cannot will not be , , ,
my mode o f religion .
N ow o n e wishes there had been some e u

,
lightened friend to sa y to such a man Why ,
will you not understand that there is no

~
necessity fo r this to be the mode O f your

religion ? By what want o f acuteness do you
fail to distinguish between the mode ( a mere ,
extrinsic and accidental mode ) and the su b ,
stance ? In the world O f nature you see the

same elements wrought into the plainest and
t he most beautiful into the most diminutive and
,
the most maj estic forms S O the same simple .
principles o f christian truth may constitute the

basis o f a very inferior o r a very noble o r , ,
der o f ideas The principles themselves have

.
an essential quality which is n o t convertible ;

but they were n o t imparted to man to be
fixed in the mind as S O many bare scientific
propositions each confined to o n e single mode
,
o f conception wi t hout any collatera l ideas and

, ,
to be always expressed in one unalterable

form of words They are placed there in
.
TO EV A N G E LIC A L R E LIGI ON . 2 85
order to spread o u t if I might so express it

, ,
into a great multitude and diversity o f ideas

and feelings These ideas and feelings form
.
,
ing round the pure S imple principles will ,
correspond and will make those principles

,
themselves seem to correspond to the meaner ,
o r the more dignified intellectual rank o f the
mind Why will yo u n o t perceive that if the

.
,
subj ect takes SO humble a style i n its less

intellectual believers it is not that it cannot
,
unfold greater proportions through a grada

tion O f larger a n d still larger faculties an d ,
wit h facility occupy the whole capacity of the

amplest in the same manner as the ocean fills
,
a gulf as easily a s a creek ! Through this

climax it retains an identity of its essential
principles and appears progressively a nobler
,
thi n g only by gaining a position for more

conspicuously displaying itself Why will you .
not go with it through this gradatio n till you ,
se e it presented in a greatness o f character

adequate to the utmost that you can without ,
folly attribute to yourself o f large and i m

,
proved faculty ?
N ever fear lest the gospel
sho u ld prove not sublim e enough for the ele
vation of your thoughts If yo u could attain
.
an intellectual eminence from which you would

look with pity on the rank you at present
hold yo u would still find the dignity o f this
,
subject on your level and rising above it

,
.
DO yo u doubt this ? What then do you think

2 86 ON TH E A V ERSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
of such spiri ts for instance as those o f M il

, ,
ton and P ascal ? And b y how many degrees

o f the intellectual scale S hall yours surpass
them to authorize your feeling that to be
,
little which they felt to be great ?

They were
at times sensible of the magnificence of chris
tian truth filling distendi n g and excee ding
, , , ,
their faculties and could have wished fo r even

,
greater powers to do it j ustice In their loftiest .
contemplations they did not feel their minds

,
elevating the subj ect but the subj ect elevating ,
their minds No w consider that their views

.
of the gospel were in essence the same with , ,
those O f its meanest S incere disciples ; and

that therefore many sentiments which by their ,
u n ha form have disgusted you much

py , so ,
bore a faithful though humble analogy to the

ideas of these illustrious christians Why then .
,
while hearing such sentiments have you not ,
learnt the habit of recognising thi s an alog y ,
and in pursuance of it casting your thought

upward to the highest style o f the subject i n ,
stead O f abandoning the subj ect itself in the

recoil from the unfortunate mode o f present
ing it ? Have you not cause to fear that your
dislike goes deeper than this exterior of its
exhibition ? Fo r else would you not anxiously
, ,
seek a n d rej oice to meet the divine subj ect

, ,
in that t ra n sfigu ra ti o n o f aspect by which its

grandeur would thus be redeemed ?
I would make a solemn appeal to the under
TO EV A NG E LIC A L R E LIGI ON . 2 87
sta nding and the conscience of such a man .
I would sa y to him Is it to the honour O f a

,
mind of t aste that it loses when the religion

, ,
o f C hrist is concerned all the value of its

,
discrimination ? DO you not absolutely know

that the littlen e ss which yo u see investin g
that relig i on is adventitious ? Are you n ot
certain that in hearing the discourse of su ch
m en if they were now to be found ; as those
,
I have named the evangelical truths would

,
appear to yo u sublime and that they cannot

,
be less so in fact than they would app ear

as displayed from those m inds But eve n
suppose that they also failed and that all ,
m odern christians without exception had

, ,
conspired to give an unattractive a n d u ni m

pressive aspect to the subj ect o f their pro
fessi o n there is still the C hristian R evelation
,
~—ma I not presume that you sometimes

y
r ea d it ? B u t this is to be done in that
state of susceptible seriousness without which ,
you will have no j ust apprehension o f i t s

character ; w ithout which you are but like
an ignorant clown who happening to look ,
a t the heavens perceives nothi n g more awful

,
In th a t immeasurable wilderness O f suns than

in the r o w of lamps along the streets .
If you do read that book in the better ,
st a te O f feeling I have n o comprehension

,
of the constitution o f your mind if the fi rst ,
perception would n o t be that of a simple

2 88 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
venerable dignity a n d if the second would not

,
be that o f a certain abstract u n de fin a ble mag

n i fic en c e ; a perception o f somethin g which ,
behind this simplicity expands into a great

,
n ess beyond the compass O f your mind ; an

impression like that with which a thoughtful
and imagi native man might be supposed to
have looked on the countenance of N ewton ,
feeling a kin d O f mystical a bsorption in the

attempt to comprehe n d the magnitude of the
soul residin g within that form When in this .
state o f serious susceptibility have you not ,
also perceived in the character and the m anner

o f the first apostles of this truth while they ,
were declaring it an expression o f dignity

, ,
altogether di fferent from that o f other di s

t i n g u i she d men and much more elevated and
,
unearthly ? If you examined the cause you ,
perceived that the dignity arose partly from

their being employed as living oracles o f this
truth and still more from their whole cha
,
r a c t e rs being pervaded by its spirit And .
have yo u not been sometimes conscious for ,
a moment that if it possessed your sou l in

,
the same manner as it did theirs it would ,
raise yo u to be o n e O f the most excellent

order o f mortals ? You would then stand
forth in a combination Of s a nctity devotion di s , ,
interestedness superiority to external things

, ,
energy and aspiring hope in comparison o f

, ,
which the ambition Of a conqueror o r the ,

TO EV A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON .
pride o f a self admiring philosopher would be

-
,
a v ery vulgar kind Of dignity You acknow .
ledge these representations t o be just ; yo u

allow that the kind Of sublimity which you
have sometimes perceived in the N ew Testa
ment that the qualities Of the apostolic spirit
, ,
and that the intellectual and moral greatness

'
of some modern christians express the genui ne

,
character of the evangelical religion ; showing

that character to be o f great lustre But .
then is it not most disingenuous in you to

,
suffer the meann ess which you know t o be

but associated and separable t o be admitted
,
by your o w n mind as an excuse fo r its alien

ation from what is acknowledged to be in
itself the very contrary Of meanness ? O ught
you not to turn o n yourself with indignation
,
at that want o f rectitude which resigns you

to the e ffect of these associations or with ,
contempt of the debility which tries in vain

to break them ? Is it fo r you to be o ffended
at the m en tal weakness of christians you whose , ,
intellec t ual vigour and whose sense of justice

, ,
but leave you to sink helpless in the fastidious

n ess of sickly taste and t o lament that so many
,
inferior spirits have been co n soled and saved by

this divine faith as to leave on it a soil which
forbids your e m b r a c mg it even though your
,
o w n salvation depend ? At the very same time

perhaps this weakness takes the form o f pride .
L et that pride speak o u t ; it would be curio u s

U
to hear it sa y that your mental refinement per

,
haps mig ht have permitted yo u to take your

g round on that eminence o f the christian faith
where M ilton and P ascal stood if so many ,
humbler beings did not disgrace it b y oc on ,
i
py g n the decli vity and the v a le .
But after a ll what need o f referring to

,
illustrious names as if the claims of that

which you acknowledge to be from heaven
should be made to depend on the number
of those who have received it gracefully ; o r
as if a rational being could calmly wait for
his taste to be conciliat ed before he would
,
embrace a system by which his immortal

interest is to be secured . The S overeign
Authority has signified what the di fference S hall
be in the end between the consequences of r e
,
c ei v i n
g or not receiving the evangelic declara
tion Is the di fference so announced Of such
.
small account that you would n o t o n serious ,
consideration be overwhelmed with wonder and

,
S hame that so minor an interference as that o f

,
mere taste should so long have made you unjust

to yourself in relation to what yo u are in pro
gress to realize ? And if persisting to decline
,
an exercise o f such faithful consideration you ,
go o n a venture t o meet a consequence n u

speakably disastrous will an unhallowed and
,
proud refinement appear to have been a worthy

cause for which to incur it ? Y o u deserve
t o be disgusted with a divine communication ,
and to lose all its benefits if you can thus

,
let every thing have a greater influence on

your feelings concerning it than its truth and
imp ortance and if its accidental and separable
,
a ssociations with littleness can counteract its

,
essential inseparable ones with the G overnor

and R edeemer Of the world with happiness , ,
and with eternity With what compassion

might yo u be j ustly regarded by an ill it erate but —
“
zealous christian whose interest in t he truths
‘
Of the New Testam ent at once constitutes the

'
best felicity here and securely c a rr Ie S him to

,
ward the kingdom O f his F ather ; while yOu are

standing aloof and perhaps thinking that if he
, ,
and all such as he were dead yo u migh t after a

, ,
while acquire the spirit which should i mpel you

,
also toward heave n But why do you not feel

.
your individual concern in this great subj ect as

absolutely as if a ll men were dead and you ,
heard alone i n the earth the voice of G od ; o r

as if you saw like the solitary exile O f P atmos
, ,
an awfu l a ppearance of Jesus C hrist and the ,
visions of hereafter ? What is it t o yo u that

many christians have given an a spect of little
ness to the gospel or that a few have s ustained
,
a n d exemplified its sublimity

2 92 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN O F TA S T E
L E T T E R II I .
A NOTH E R cause which I think has tended

to render evangelical religion less acceptable
t o persons Of taste is the p ec u lia r i ty of la n
,
g gua e adop ted in the discourses and books

o f its teachers as well a s in the religious
,
conversation and corresponde n ce Of the maj o

rity o f its adherents I do not refer t o any
.
past age when an excessive quaintness de

,
formed the composition O f so many writers o n

religion and all other subjects ; my assertion is
respecting the diction at present in use .
The works collectively Of the bes t writers in

the language Of those especially who may be
,
called the moderns o f the lan guage have created ,
and substantially fixed a standard o f general

phraseology . If any department i s exempted
from the authority o f this standard it is the low ,
o n e o f humour and bu f foonery in which the ,
writer may coin and fash i on phrases at hi s whim .
But in the language o f the higher and Of what ,
may be called middle order o f writing that ,
authority i s the law It does indeed allow

.
indefinite varieties Of what is called style S ince ,
twenty able and approved writers might be

TO EV A N G E LICA L R E LIGI ON . 2 93
cited who have each a different style ; but yet

,
there is a certain general character Of expression

which they have mainly concurred to establish .
This compound result of a ll their modes Of

writing is become sanctioned as the classical
manner of employing the language as the form ,
in which it constitutes the most rectified general

vehicle o f thought And though it is difficult
.
to define this standard yet a well re a d person

,
-
of taste feels when it is transgressed o r deserted ,
and pronounces that no classical writer has

employed that phrase or would have co mbined
,
tho se words in such a manner .
The deviations from this standard must be ,
first by mean or vulgar diction which is below

, ,
it ; or secondly by a barbarous diction which is

, ,
-
ou t o f it , or foreign to it ; or thirdly by a ,
diction which though fo reign to it is yet not

, ,
to be termed barbarous because it is elevated,
entirely above the authority o f the standard by ,
some transcendent force or maj esty o f thought ,
o r a s u per human communication of truth

-
.
I might make some charge against the lan

guage of divines under the first o f these dis
t i n c t i o n s ; but my present attention is to wha t
seems to me to come under the second cha

r a c t e r of di f ference from the standard that o f
"
being barbarou s The phrases peculiar to any

—
trade profession or fraterni t y are barbarous

, , , ,
if they were n o t lo w ; they are commo n ly both .
The language of la w is felt by every o n e to

2 94 ON TH E A V E RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
be barbarous in the extreme not only by the ,
huge lumber Of i t s technical terms but by its ,
very structure in the parts not consisting of

,
technical terms The lan guage of science is .
barbarous as far as it differs arbitrarily and in

, ,
more than the u se Of those terms which are .
indispensable to the science from the pure ,
general model And I am afraid that on t he

.
,
same prin ciple the a c c u st o me d d i c t i on O f evan

,
el
i a l religion also must be pronounced bar
g c
barous F or I suppose it will be instantly

.
allowed that the mode of expression o f the

,
*
greater number o f evangelical divines and of ,
”
Wh n e
y I sa
g ev a n concur
el
i ca l wi h h
di v i n es,
t t e I
opinion o f t hos e who d ee m a con si der a bl e a n d in an int el
, , ,
l e ctu a l an d lit er a ry vi e w a highly r e sp ec t a bl e cla ss of the

,
w i t e rs w ho ha ve profe ss e dly t augh t chris ti anit y t o b e n ot

r ,
s t rictly e va ngelic al T h ey might r a t h e r b e den o mm a t ed

.
mor a l a n d philosophic a l divin e s illus tra t ing a n d enforcing ,
ve ry a bly the gen er a li ti e s o f religion a n d th hris tia n ,

e c
mora ls b u t n o t pl a cing t he e conomy O f r e de mp tion e x a c tly

,
in t ha t light in which the New T e s t a m en t a pp ea rs t o pl a c e

it. S om e o f t he s e h a v e a voi de d the kin d O f di a l e c t on which
I a m a nim a dv er ti ng n o t only by m ea ns O f a dic t ion more
,
cla ssic a l a n d di gnifi e d in the g n er a l principl e s of i t s s tru e

e
t ur e bu t a lso by a voidi ng the i dea s wi t h which t h e p hr a s e s

,
o f t his di a l e c t ar e c mmonly a ssoci a t e d o I m a y how e ve r .
he r e O bs erv e th a t i t is by no m e a ns a l t og e the r confin e d t o

,
t he sp e cific a lly e v a ng elic a l de p a r t m e n t o f wri t ing a n d di s
cours e t hough i t there pr e va ils the mos t a n d wi th the

, ,
gr e a tes t numb er of phr a s e s I t e x t ends in som e degree .

, ,
in t o the m ajori t y of wri ting on r eligion in g en er a l an d ma y ,
t h e refor e b e c a ll e d t he t h e ologic a l a lmos t a s prop e rly a s t he

,
e v a ng elic a l di a l e c t
,
.
TO EV A NG E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 2 95
those taught by them is widely di fferent from ,
the standard of general language not only by the ,
necessary adoption of some peculiar terms but ,
by a continued and systematic cast of phr a se o

logy ; insomuch that in reading or hearing five
or si x sentences of an evangelical discourse ,
you ascertain the school by the mere turn O f

expression independently of any attention to
,
the quality of the ideas If in or der to try .

,
what those ideas would appear in an altered

form of words you attempted to reduce a para
,
graph to the language employed by intellectual

men in speaking or writing well on general
subjects you would find it must be absolutely a
,
version You know how easily a vast mass

.
of e x emplific a ti o n might be and the

specimens would give the idea of an attempt
to create out o f the general mass of the lan
,
guage a dialect which S hould be intrinsically

,
spiritual ; and so exclusively appropri a ted to

christi an doctrine as to be totally unserviceable
fo r any other subj ect and to become ludicrous ,
when applied to i t fi And this being extracted

I e
,
like the sabbath from the common course O f
f
Th is is ru e tha t i t is no u ncommon exp e di ent with
so t ,
th e wo uld b e wi t s t o in t ro duc e som e o f the spi it u a l p hr a s e s

-
,
r ,
in sp e aking O f a y t hi g whi ch th ey wi h t o r en de r lu dicrous

n n s
a n d t he y a r e g e n er a lly so far succ e ssful a s t o b e r e w a r de d by
t he l a ugh o r t he sm i l e of t h e circl e w ho p rob a bly m a y n e ve r

,
ha v e ha d the goo d fort un e of he a ing w i t a n d ha v e n o t th

r ,
e
s ens e or consci enc e t o c a re a bou t r eligion .

time the general range of diction is abandoned

, ,
with all its powers diversities and elegance to

, , ,
secular subj ects and the u se Of the pro fane It .
is a kind o f popery o f language vilifying every

,
thing n o t m arked with the signs of t he holy

church and forbidding any one to minister to
,
religion except in consecrated speech .
S uppose that a heathen foreigner had acquired

a full acquaintance with o u r lang u age i n its
mos t classical construction yet without learning
,
any thing about the gospel (which it is true

,
enough he might do ) and that he then hap

,
pened to read or hear an evangelical discourse

he would b e exceedingly surprised at the cast
of phraseology He would probably be arrested
.
and perplexed in such a m anner as hardly to

know whether he wa s trying his faculties o n the
new doctrine or on the singularity o f the
,
diction ; whereas the ge n er a l course o f the

diction S hould appear but the same as that
to which he had been accustomed It should .
be such that he would n ot even think Of i t ,
but only o f the n e w subj ect and peculiar ideas

which were coming through it to his a ppr ehe n
sion unless there could be some advantage in
the necessity o f looking at these ideas through
the mist and confusion o f the double mediu m ,
created by the super ind u ction o f an uncouth

-
S pecial dialect o n the general languag e O r if

—
he were n ot a stranger to the subj ect but had ,
acquired i ts leading principles from some author

or speaker who employed (with the addition

of a very small number o f peculiar terms ) the
same kind o f lan guage in which any other se
would still be not less surprised .

“
rio n s subj ect would have been discoursed on he
Is it pos
,
sible he w ould say as soon as he could a ppr e

, ,
hend what he was attending to ,

“
that these
are the very same vie w s which lately presented
themselves with such lucid simplicity to m y
understanding ?
O r i s there something more ,
of which I am not aware conveyed and con

,
c eal e d under these strange shapings Of p hrase ?
Is this another stage of the religion the school,
o f the adepts in which I am not yet initiated ?

,
And does religion then every where as well ,
as in my country affect to S how and g uard its

,
importance by relinqui shing the S imple lan guage

O f intelligence and assuming a S inister dialect o f
,
its ow n ? O r is this the diction Of an individual

only and Of o n e w ho really intends but to c o n
,
vey the same ideas that I have elsewhere r e

c e i v e d in so much more clear and direct a
vehicle o f words ? But then in what remote
,
corner placed beyond the authority o f c r i t i

,
c i sm and t he circulation o f literature where a

,
noble language stagnates into barbarism did ,
this man study his religion and acquire hi s

phrases ? O r by what inconceivable perversion
of taste and o f labour ha s he framed fo r the ,
sentiments o f his religio n a mode o f expression

,
so uncongenial with the eloquence o f his

country and so calculated to exclude it from

”
,
all benefit O f that eloquence ?

M y dear friend if I were n o t conscious o f a
,
most sincere veneration for evangelical religion

itself I S hould be more afraid to trust myself in
,
making t hese observations on the usual manner

Of expressing its ideas If my description be
.
exaggerated I a m willing to be corrected But

, .
that there is a great and systematical alienation

from the tr u e classical diction is most palpably ,
Obvious ! a n d I cannot help regarding it as an

unfortunate circumstance It gives the gospel
.
too much the air O f a professional thing which ,
must have its peculiar cast O f phrases for the ,
mutual recognition o f its pr o fic i e n t s in the same ,
manner as other professions arts crafts and , , ,
mysteries have theirs ,

This is O ffic i ou sly
.
placing the singularity of littleness to draw

attention to the S ingularity o f greatness which ,
in the very act it m lsr ep re sen t s and obscures .
It is giving an uncouthness o f mien to a beauty

which should attract all hearts It is teaching .
a p rovincial dialect to the rising instructor Of a

world It is imposing the guise o f a cramped
.
formal ecclesiastic o n what is destined for an

u n iversal monarch .
Would it not be an improvement in the

administration o f religion by di scourse and ,
w riting if christian truth w ere conveyed in that

,
neutral vehicle of expression which is adapted

indi fferently to common serious subj ects ? But
TO E VAN G ELI CAL R E LIGI ON . 2 99
it may be made a question whether it c a n be

perfectly conveyed in such language This .
point therefore requires a little consideration .
The diction on which I have animadverted may ,
be described under three distinctions .
T he first is a peculiar way of using various

common words And this peculiarity consists
.
partly in expressing ideas by such S ingle words

a S d O n o t si m l an d directly belong t o them
py
‘
instead of other single words which d o S imply

an d di r e c tl belong to them and in ge eral lan
'
y n ,
guage are used to express them ; and part ly

i f
in using su c h combinations of words as make

uncouth phrases N ow what necessity ? The .
answer is immediately Obvious as to the former

part of the description ; there can be n o need to
use on e common word in an affected and forced
man ner to convey an idea which there is ,
another common word at hand to express in the

simplest and most usual manner And then as .
to phrases consisting O f an uncouth combina

,
tion of words which are common and have ,
no degree Of technicality are they necessary ,
They are n o t absolutely necessary unless each ,
of these combinations conveys a thought of so

exquisitely S ingular a turn that no other con ,
j un ction O f terms could have exp r essed it ;
it
As for ins t a nce , wa l
k, an d c on v er sa ti on , ins t ea d of o c n
du c t, dep ar tmen t ; ins t ea d O f som e t im e s

a c t i on s, or
flesh, , ,
body; som e tim e s n a t ura l inclin a tion .

w hich was never s u ggested by one mind to

another till these three o r four words falling out ,
of the general order o f the lan guage gathered ,
into a peculiar phrase ; which cannot be ex

pressed i n the language o f another country that
has n o t a correspondent idiom ; and which will
vanish from the world if ever this phrase shall
be forgotten But these combinations of words
.
have n o such pretensio n s When you Obtain

.
their meani n g you may w ell wonder w hy a

,
peculiar apparatus o f phrase S hould have been

constructed to bring and retain such an ele
,
ment o f thought within the sphere o f your

u nderstanding But indeed the very circum
.
stance o f there being nothing extraordinary in

the sense may have been o n e inducement to the
,
contrivan ce . There may have been a certai n

discontent that the import S hould not appear
more S ignificant more weighty more sacred
, , ,
more authoritative than it could be made to

,
appear as conveyed in common secular lan guage .
It could n o t be trusted to have its proper e ffect ,
without some special token borne o n its exterior

to warn u s to pay it reverence In whatever .
manner ho w ever the language came to be per

, ,
verted into these artificial modes it would be ,
easy to try whether the ideas o f which they are,
the vehicles are such a s they exclusively are

,
competen t and privileged t o convey insomuch ,
that their rej ection would be the forfeiture Of a

certain portion o f religious truth and sentiment ,
TO EV A NG E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 3 01
which would thereupon retire beyond the con

fines O f o u r intelligence disdaining to stay and
,
make a n abode in common forms of language .
And it would be found that these phrases as it ,
i s w i t hi n o u r familiar experience that all phrases

‘
consisting of only common words and having ,
no relation to art or science can be exchanged ,
for several different combinations o f words ,
witho u t materially altering the though t or

lengthening the expression M ake the ex per i.
ment on any paragraph written in the manner in

q uestion
,
on any religious topic whatever and ,
see whether you cannot melt all the uncouth

constructions of diction t o b e cast in a new and
,
uncanonical S hape without letting any sense

,
there w a s in them evaporate I conclude then .

,
that what I have described as the first part of

the th eological dialect the peculiar mode of
,
using common words is not absolutely necessary

,
as a vehicle of christian truths .
The second part O f the dialect consists not ,
in a peculiar mode of using common words but ,
in a class o f words peculiar in themselves as ,
being seldom used except by divines but o f ,
which the m eaning c a n be expressed without ,
definition or circumlocution by other single ,
terms which are in general use F or example .

,
e di fic a t i o n
,
tribulation blessedness godliness
, , ,
righteousness carnality lusts ( a t er m peculiar

, , ,
and theol ogi cal only i n the plural ) could be ex ,
changed for parallel terms t o o o bvious t o need

me ntioni n g It is true indeed that there are

.
very few terms if any perfectly synonymous

, , .
But when there are several words Of very similar

though not exactly the same signification and ,
none o f them belong to an art o r science the ,
o n e which is selected is far more frequently used
in that g en er a l m eaning by which it is merely

equivalent to the others tha n in that precise ,
shade o f meaning by which it is distinguished

from them The words instruction improve
.
,
ment for instance may not express exactly the

, ,
sense Of e di fic a t i on ; but the word e di fic a t i o n is

probably not often used by a writer or speaker
with any recollection o f that peculiarity of its
meaning by which it differs from improvement
or instruction This is still more true of some
.
other words as for example tribulation a n d

, , ,
affliction Whatever small di fference o f import

.
these words may have in virtue O f derivation it ,
is probable that no man ever wrote tribulation

rather than affliction on a cc oun t o f such diffe
rence If in addition to these two the
.
, ,
word distress has O ffered itself the selection ,
o f any o n e from the three has perhaps always
been determined by habit or accident rather , ,
than by any perception o f a distinct Sign ific a

tion . The same remark is applicable to the
words blessed happy righteous virtuous carnal
, , , , ,
sensual and a multitude o f others

,
S O that .
though there are few words strictly synonymous ,
yet there are very many which are so in efiec t ,

even by the allowance and sanction of the most

,
rigid laws to which a n y O f the best writers have '
conformed their composition P erhaps this is .
a defect in human thinking ; of which the ideal
perfection may be that every conception should

,
be so discriminative and precise that n o two ,
words which have a definable shade O f diffe

,
rence in their m eaning should be equally and ,
indi fferently eligible to express that conception .
But what writer o r speaker will ever even

aspire to such perfection of thinking — not to
say that if he did he would soo n find the voca
,
b u la r y of the most copious language deficient

of single direct terms and indeed o f possible,
combinations of terms to mark all the sensible,
modifications of his ideas If a divine felt that .

_
he had such extreme discrimination of tho u ght ,
that he meant somet hin g clearly different by the

words carnal godly edifying and so of many
, , ,
others from what he could express by the

,
words sensual pious r eligious instructive he

, , , , ,
would certainly do right to adhere to the more

peculiar words ; but if he does not he may ,
perhaps improve the vehicle without hurting ,
the material o fhis religious communications b y

, ,
'
adopting the general and what may be called

classical mode o f expression .
The third di st in c ti On c f the theological dialect

consists in words almost peculi ar to the lan
guage of divines and fo r which equivalent
,
terms c a n n ot be found except in the form of ,

definition o r circumlocution S a n c t ific a t i o n .

,
regeneration grace covenant salvation and a

, , , ,
few more m a y be assigned to this class These

,
.
may be called in a qualified sense the technical

, ,
terms o f evangelical religion N ow separately .

,
from any religious considerations it is plainly ,
necessary in a literary view that all those

, ,
terms that express a modification o f thought

w hich there are no other words competent to
express without great circumlocution should

, ,
be retained T hey are requisite to the su ffi

.
c i e n c y o f the lang u age And then in consider .

,
ing those terms as connected with the christian

truth I a m ready to admit that it will be o f
, ,
a dvantage to that truth fo r some o f those ,
peculiar doctrines O f which it partly co n sists to

, ,
be permanently denominated by certain peculiar

words which sha ll stand as its t echnical terms
, .
But here several thoughts suggest themselves .
F irst the definitions Of some o f these chris

,
tian terms are not absolutely unquestionable .
The words have assumed the specific formality

o f technical terms without having completely
,
the quality and value o f such terms A certain .
laxity in their sense renders them of far less

use in their department than the terms O f ,
-
science especially o f mathematical science are

, ,
in theirs Technical terms have been the

.
lights o f science but in many instances the

, , ,
shades o f religion It i s most unfortunate

.
,
when in disquisitions o r instructions the grand

, ,
T o EV A N G E LI C AL R E LIGI ON . 3 05
leading words on which the force of all t he rest

,
depends h a ve n ot a preci se a n d indisputable

,
signification T he e ffect is S imilar to that

.
w hi ch takes place in the ranks of an army ,
w hen an O fficer has a doubtful Opinion or gives ,
indistin ct orders Wha t I would infer from

.
the se Observa tions i s t hat a christian writ e r or,

.
Speak e r will occasi onally do well inste ad O f ,
u si n g t he p eculiar term to express at le n gth i n ,
other words a t the expense o f much c i r c u mlo

,
'
c a tio n t hat idea which he would have wished

,
to convey if h e had used that peculiar term I .
do n o t mea n t hat he should do this So often as

to r ender the term Obsolete It might be u se .
fuls o metimes especially in v e rbal instruction

, ,
both t o introduce the t e rm a n d t o give such a ,

.
sentenc e as I have des c ribed

. S uch an ex .
p le t i v e repetition of the ide a will more th an
compensate for t he tediousness by the distinct ,
n ess a n d fulnes s o fe n u n c i a t i o n i t
.
S econdly if the definiti o ns Of the christian

,
peculiar terms were even as precise and fixed

as those of scientific denominations yet the ,
nature of the subj ect is such a s to permit an

indolent mind to p ronoun ce or to hear these
terms without r e collec ting those d efinitions In .
deliv e ring or writing and in hearing or r eading, ,
’
It is n eedl ss t o O bs er ve t ha t t his woul d b e
e up e r a s
flu ou s l a bour wit h r e sp e ct t o t h mos t simpl e o f t he p e cu lia r

'
wor ds such for ins t ance a s sa lv a ti on

,
.
!
3 06 O N TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
a mathematical lecture both the teacher and

,
the pupil are compelled to form in their minds

the exac t idea which each technical term has
been defined to signify ; else th e whole train of
words is mere sound and inanity But in r e .
ligi o n
, a man has a feeling of having some
general ideas connected with all the words as
he hears them though he perhaps never studied
, ,
o r does not retain the definition o f one

, I S hall .
have occasion to repeat this remark and there ,
fore do not enlarge here The inference is the

.
same as under the former Observation ; it is ,
t hat the technical terms Of christianity will con

tribute little to precision of thought unless the ,
ideas which they signify be Often expressed at

length in other words either in explanatio n o f
,
those terms when introduced o r in substitution ,
fo r them when omitted .
Thi rdly it is not in the power o f S ingle

,
theological terms however precise their de fin i

,
tions may at any time have been to secure to ,
their respective ideas an unalterable stability .
Unless the ideas themselves by being Often ,
expressed in common words preserve the sign i ,
fic a t i o n o f the terms the terms will not preserve

,
the accuracy o f the ideas This is true no .
doubt o f the technical terms o f science ; but it

is tr u e in a much more striking manner Of the
peculiar words in theology If the technical
.
terms of science at least Of the strictest kind

,
Of science were t o cease to mean what they

,
T o EV A N G E LIC A L R E LIGI ON . 3 07
had been defined t o mean they would cease to,
mean any thing and the change would be only

,
from knowledge t o blank ignorance B u t in .
the christian theology the change might be

,
from truth to error ; since the peculiar words

might c e ase to mean what they were once
defined to mean by being employed in a dif
,
fer e n t sense .It may not be difficult to con

j e c t u r e in what sense the terms convers ion and
regeneration for example were used by the

, ,
reformers and the men who may be called the

,
fathers of the established church of this coun

try ; but what sense have they subsequently
borne in the writings Of many Of its di
vines ? The peculiar words may remain when ,
the ideas which they were intended to per

et u a t e are gone Thus instead of being
p .
the signs o f those ideas they become their ,
monuments ; and monuments profaned into

abodes for the livi ng enemies O f the departed .
It m ust indeed be acknowledged that in some ,
instances innovations Of doctrine have been i n

t r o du c e d partly by declining the use of the
words that desig n ated the doctrines which it
w a s wished to render Obsolete ; but they have
been still more frequently and successfully i n
t r o du c e d under the ad v antage of retaining the
,
terms while the principles were gradually su b

verted And therefore I S hall be pardoned for
.
repeating this once more that since the peculiar

,
words can be kept in one invariable signification

x 2
3 08 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF M EN OF TA S T E
only by keeping that signification clearly in

sight in another wa y than the bare use o f these
words themselves it would be wise in christian
,
authors and S peakers sometimes to express the

ideas in common words either in expletive and
,
explanatory connexion with the peculiar terms ,
or occasionall y instead O f them I would still

, , .
be understood to approve entirely of the use Of

a few of this class O f terms ; while the above
Observations may deduct very much from the
usual estimate o f their value and importance .
These pages have attempted to show in what ,
particulars the language adopted by a great

proportion O f christian divines might b e modi
fie d and yet remain faithful t o the principles
,
o f christian doctrine S uch common words as

.
have acquired an affected cast in theological

u se might give place to the other common
,
words which express the ideas in a plain a n d

unaffected manner ; and the phrases formed o f
common words uncouthly combined may be ,
swept away M any peculiar and antique words

—
might be exchan ged for other S ingle words O f ,
equivalent signification and in general use

, .
And the small number o f peculiar terms

acknowledged and established as o f permanent
use and necessity might even separately from
, ,
the consideration o f m odifying the diction he ,
often with advantage to the explicit declaration

,
and clear comprehension of christian truth ,

TO EV A N GE LI CA L R E LIGI ON . 3 09
m a de to give place to a fuller express i on in a ,
number of common words of those ideas o f,
which these peculiar terms are the single signs .
N ow such a n alteration would bring the

language of divines nearly to the classical
standard If evangelical sentiments c o uld be
.
faithfully presented in an order of words of

,
which so small a part should be of S pecific cast ,
they could be presented in what Should be

substantially the diction o f Addison or P ope .
And if even S haft esbury Bolingbroke and

, ,
H u me could have become ch ristians by some

,
mighty and sudden efficacy o f conviction and ,
had determined to write thenceforth in the

spirit o f the Apostles they would have found
, ,
if these observati ons be correct n o radical ,
c hange necessary in the consistence Of their

langu age . An enlightened believer in christi
a n it might have been sorry if in such a case
y , , ,
he had seen any o f them superstitiously labour

ing to acquire all the phrases of a school i n ,
stead O f applying at once to its new voc a tion

a diction fitted for the vehicle of universal
thought Are not t hey yet sufficient masters
.
Of language it might have been asked with

,
surprise to express all their thoughts with the

,
utmost precisio n AS their language had been

found sufficiently specific to inj ure the gospel ,
it would have been strange if it had been too

general to serve it T he required alteration
. .
would probably have been little mo re than to

introduce familiarly the Obvious denominations

o f the christian topics and Obj ects such as re , ,
demption heaven mediator C hrist R edeemer

, , , , ,
with t he others of a S imilar kind and a very few ,
o f those almost technical words which I have
admitted to be indispensable The habitual .
use Of such denominations would have left the

general order Of their compos i tion the same .
And it would have been striking to observe by

how com parati v ely small a di fference o f terms
a diction which had appeared most perfectly
pagan could be christianized when the writer
, ,
had turned to christian subj ects and felt the ,
christian spirit O n the whole then I conclude

— .
,
that with the exc eption which I have distinctly

,
made the evangelical principles may be clearly

,
exhibited in what may be called a neutral dic

tion . And if they may I can imagine some
,
reasons to justify the wish that it were generally

employed .
AS one o f these reasons I may revert to the

,
consideration o f the impression made by the

dialect which I have described o n those per ,
so n s Of cultivated taste whom this essay has

chiefly in View I am aware that they are
.
greatly inclin ed to make an idol of their taste ;

and I am aware a lso that no species o f irreligion
can be much worse than to sacrifice to this
idol any thing whi ch essentially b elongs to
christianity If any part Of evangelical religion
. ,
all injurious associations being detached were ,

TO E VAN GE L I C A L R E LIGI ON . 311
still Of a nature to displease a refined taste the ,
duty would evidently be to repress its claims

and murmurs We should dread the p r e su mp
.
tion which would require of the D eity that his ,
spiritual economy should be both in reality and,
evidently to o u r view correspondent in all parts

,
to the type o f order grandeur or beauty pre

, ,
sented to us in the constitution o f the material

world o r to those notions o f them which have
,
become conventionally established among culti

v a t e d minds
. But at the same time it is a
, ,
most unwise policy for religion that the sacri ,
fic e of taste which ought if required to be su b

, ,
mi ssi v ely made to any part o f either its essence

or its form as really displayed fro m heaven ,
S hould be exacted to any thing unnecessarily

a n d ungracefully superinduced by man .
AS another reason I would Observe that t he

, ,
disciples o f the religion Of C hrist wo u ld wish it

to mingle more extensively and familiarl y with
social converse and all the serious subj ects o f
,
human attention But then it should have

.
every facility that would not compromise its

,
genuine character for doing so And a peculiar

,
.
phraseology is the direct contrary O f such facility ,
as it gives to what is already by its own nature

eminently distinguished from common subj ects ,
an a r tfi c i a l strangeness which makes it difficult

,
fo r discourse to slide into it and revert t o it ,
and from it without a formal and uncouth

,
transi t ion The subject is placed in a condition

.
like that Of an entire foreigner in company w ho ,
is debarred from taking any share in the con

versation till some o n e interrupts it by turning
,
directly to him and beginning to talk with him

,
in the foreign language Y o u have sometimes .
observed when a person has introduced reli

,
gions topics in the cours e Of perhaps a tole

,
r a bl rational conversation other interesting

y on
subj ects that owing to the cast Of expression

, , ,
fully as much as to the di fference of the subject ,
it was done by an entire change o f the whole

tenour and bearing Of the discourse and with ,
as formal an announcement as the bell ringing

to church Had his religious diction been more
.
o f a piece with the common cast of language of
intelligent discourse he might probably have ,
introduced the subj ect sooner and certainly ,
with a much better e ffect .
A third consideration is that evangelical , ,
sentiments would be less subj ect to the i m

putation Of fan a ticism if their language were ,
less contrasted with that o f other cla sses of

sentiments Here it is unnecessary to say
.
,
that n o pusillanimity were more contemptible

than that which to escape this imputation, ,
would surrender the smallest vital particle o f

the religion o f C hrist We are to keep i n .
solemn recollection his declaration Who ,
soever shall be ashamed O f me and o f my

words o f him also shall the S on o f man be
,
ashamed .Any model o f terms which could ,

To E VAN GE L I C A L R E LI GI ON . 313
not be superseded without precluding some

idea peculiar to the gospel from the possi
b il i t y o f being faithfully expressed it would ,
be for hi s disciples to retain in spite o f all

the ridicule o f the m ost antichristian age .
But I am at every step assuming tha t every

, ,
part of the evangelical system can be most

perfectly exhibited in a diction but little pe
c ul i a r ; and that being admitted would it
, ,
n ot be better to avert t he imputation as far ,
as this di fference Of l a nguage could avert it ?

Better I do not mean in the way o f pro
, ,
t e c t i v e convenience to any cowardly feeling of ,
the man who is liable to be called a fanatic

for maintaining the evangelical principles ; he
ought o n the ground both of christian fi delity
,
-
and of manly independence to be s u perior to ,
caring about the charge ; but better as to ,
the light in which these principles might a p

pear to the persons w ho meet them with this
p r ejudice . You may have Observed that in
attributing fanaticism they Often fix on the ,
phrases at least as much as o n t he a b so

,
lute substance O f evangelical doctrines

, N ow .
w ould it not b e better to sho w them w ha t
these doctrines are as divested of these phrases

, ,
and exhibited clearly in that vehicle i n which

other import ant truths are presented ; and
t hus
, at least to defeat their propensity to
,
seize on a mode of exhibition so convertible

to the ludicrous in defence against any clai m
,
m ade them for seriousness respecting the

on
substantial matter ? If sometimes their grave

attention their corrected apprehension their
, ,
partial approbation might be gained it were

, ,
a still more desirable e ffect And w e can r e .
collect instances in which a certain degree o f

this good e fle c t has resulte d P ersons who had .
received unfavourable impressions o f some o f

the peculiar ideas Of the gospel from having ,
heard them advanced almost exclusively i n the

modes o f phrase o n which I have remarked ,
have acknowledged their prej udices to be some

what diminished after these ideas had bee n
,
presented in the S imple general language o f i n

t elle c t We cannot indeed so far forget the
.
lessons Of experience and th e inspired de c la

,
rations concern ing the dispositions o f the human

mind as to expect that it would be more than
,
very partially conciliated by any possible i m

provement in the mode o f exhibiting christia n
truth . But it were to b e wished that every
thing should be don e to bring reluctant minds
into doubt at least whether if they cannot be
, , ,
evangelical it be because they are o f an order

,
t o o rectified and refined .
As a further consideration in favour o f adopt

ing a more general lan guage it may be O h ,
served that hypocrisy would then find a much

,
greater difficulty a s far as speech i s concerned

, ,
in supporting its imposture The usual lan .
guage o f hypocrisy at least Of vulgar hypocrisy

, ,
T o EV A N GE LICAL R E LIGI ON . 3 15
is cant ; and religious cant is often an affected

use o f the phrases which have been heard em
ployed as appropriate to evangelical truth with
which phrases the hypocrite has connected no
distinct ideas so that he would be confounded
,
if an intelligent examiner were to require an a o

curate explanation O f them ; while yet nothing
is more easy to be sung or said N ow were .
this diction for the greater part t o vanish fro m

, ,
christian society leaving the truth in its mere

,
essence behind and were consequently the pre

, , ,
tender reduced to assume the guise of religion

on the more laborious condition of acquiring
an understanding O f its leading principles so ,
as to be able to give them forth discriminatively

in language Of his o w n the part Of a hypocrite
,
would be much less easily acted and less fr e ,
quently attempted R eligion would therefore

.
be seldomer dishonoured by the mockery of a

false semblance .
Again if this alteration of language were i n

,
t r o du c e d some of the sincere disciples o f evan

,
el i l re l
i gion would much more distinctly feel
g c a
the necessity of a p ositive intellectual hold on

the principles of their profession A systematic .
recurring formality O f words tends t o prevent

a perfect understanding o f the subj ect by fur ,
n i shi n fo r complex ideas a set o f ready framed

g
-
signs (like stereotype in printing ) w hich a

, ,
man learns to employ without really having the

ideas of which the combination should consist .
S ome of
the simple ideas which belong to the
combination may be totally absent from his
mind the others may be most faintly a ppr e
,
hended ; there is no precise construction there

fore o f the thought ; and thus the Sign which
he uses stands in fact for n othing
, If o n .
,
hearing o n e o f these phrases you were to turn ,
to the speaker and sa y N ow what i s that idea

, ,
What do you plainly mean by that expression ?

o u would Often find w ith how indistinct a
y
conception with how little attention to the
,
very idea itself the mind had been contented

,
.
And this contentment yo u would Often Observe

to be not a humble acquiescence in a c o n
,
sc i o u sl defective apprehension o f some prin

y
ci l e o f which a man feels and confesses the
p ,
di fficulty of attaining more than a partial c o n

c e ti o n but the s a tisfied assurance that b e fully
p ,
understands what he is expressing O n another .
subj ect where there were no settled forms of

,
words to beg u ile him into the feeling as if he

thought and understood when in fact he did ,
n ot and where words m ust have been selected

,
to define his o wn formation o f the tho u ght his ,
embarrassment how to express himself would

have m ade him aware that his notion had no
S hape and have compelled an intellectual e ffort
,
to give it o n e But it is against all reason

.
that chri stian truth should be believed and pro

fessed with a less concern for precision and ,
a t the expense o f less mental exercise than ,

T o EVAN G E L I C A L R E LIGI ON . 317
any other subject would require And of how .
little consequence it would seem to be in t hi s ,
mode of believing whether a man enter t ains

,
one s y stem of pr i nciples or the opposit e .
But if such arguments could not be allege d ,
it would sti ll seem far from desir a ble without ,
evident necessity to clothe evangelical senti

,
ment in a diction varying in more than a few

indispensable terms from the general standard ,
for the simple reason that it must be barba

,
rous ; unless as I have Observed it b e raised

, ,
quite above the authority of this standard and ,
O f the criticism and the taste which appeal t o
it by the venerable dign ity of in spiration which

, ,
w e have no more to expect or b y the intel ,
lectual pow e r of a genius almost surpassing

human nature I do n ot know whether it b e
.
absolutely impossible that there S hould arise a

m a n whose manner O f thinking shall be so
transcendent in originality and demon strati ve
vi gour as to a uthorize him to throw the lan
,
guage into a n e w order all hi s o wn ! but i t

,
is questionable whether there ev er appeared

such a writer in any language wh i ch had been
,
c ultivated to i t s maturi ty E ven M ilton w ho

.
,
might i f ever mort al m ight be warranted to

,
!
spo rt with all e stabli shed a uthori ty and usage ,
an d to run the langu age into whatever n u

san c tioned forms w o uld enlarge his freedom in
gra nd me ntal enterprise ha s been for pres u min g

, ,
318 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
in a certain degree to create fo r himself a pc

cul i ar diction charged by Johnson with writing
,
’
in a Babylonish dialect And Johnson s .
own m ighty force of mind has n ot defended

his R oman dialect from being condemned by
’
all men o f taste The magic o f Burke s elo.
e n c e is not enough to beguile the perception

q u ,
that it is of less dignified and commanding

tone has less o f the claim to be fo r all time
, ,
than if the same marvellous affluence o f thought

and fancy had been conveyed in a language Of
less arbitrary capricious and ma n n e r i sh cha
, ,
r a c t er To revert to the theological peculiarity

.
o f dialect ; w e may look in vain fo r any theo
lo gi an O f genius so supereminently powerful as

might impress o n it either a dign ity to over
'
awe or a grace to conciliate literary taste But

, , .
indeed if we had such a one he would not

attempt it If he disregarded the classical
.
standard and chose to S peak in an alien dia

,
lect it would be a dialect Of his o w n formed

, ,
in still more complete independence and di s

regard O f the model which SO many theological
teachers have concurred to establish for the
lan guage o f religion .
It may be said perhaps that any such splendid

, ,
intervention in authorization o f that model can

, ,
be spared ; for that the class contains so

many of great ability and S O many more o f ,
great piety and usefulness that the peculiar ,
diction wi ll maintain its ground P robably it .

will do so in a considerable degree for a lo n g

, ,
time But no numbers ability o r piety wil l

.
, , ,
ever redeem it fro m the character Of barbarism .
L E TT E R I V .
IN defence O f the diction which I have been

describing it will be said that it has grown
, ,
o u t o f the language o f the Bible To a great .
extent this is evidently true

, M any phrases .
in deed which casually occurred in the writings

Of divines and many which were laboriously
,
invented by those w ho wished to give to di

vinity a complete systematic arrangement and ,
therefore wanted denominations o r titles for

the multitude of articles in the artificial dis
t ri b u t i o n have been incorporated in the theo
,
logical di alect But a large proportion o f its

.
phrases consists partly in such combinations of

words as were taken originally from the Bible ,
and still more in such as have from familiarity ,
with that book partly grown in insensible assi

,
m ila ti o n and partly been formed intentionally

, ,
but rudely in resemblance to its characteristic

, ,
language .
32 0 ON T H E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
Before proceeding further I do not know ,
whether it may be necessary in order to pre ,
vent misapprehension to advert to the high ,
advantage and propriety o f Often introducing

sentences from the Bible not only in theo ,
logical but In any grave moral composition

, .
P assages Of the inspired writings must n e c e s

sa r i l be cited in some instances in proof f
y , O ,
the truth o f opinions and may be most hap ,
pily cited in many others to give a venerable

, ,
and impressive air to serious sentiments which

would be a dmitted as just though unsuppor ted
by such a reference to the aut hority Both .
complete sentences and striking short expres

,
sions consisting perhaps sometimes of o nly two

,
o r three words may be thus introduced with

,
an e ffect at once usefu l and ornamenta l while ,
they appear p ure and unmodified amidst the

comp osition as simple particles o f scripture
, ,
quite di stin c t from t he diction in which they

‘
are inserted When thus appearing in their

.
o w n genuine quality as lines or parts of lines

,
taken from a venerable book which i s written

in a manner very di fferent from our common
mode o f language they are read a s expressions
,
foreign to the surrounding c omposition and , ,
without an e ffort referred to the work from

,
which they are brought and o f which they r e

tain the unaltered consistence ; in the same
manner as p assages o r striking S hort expres
,
sions adopted from some respected and well

,
T o EV A N G E LICAL R E LIG I ON . 321
known classic in o u r language Whatever dig .
n it therefore characterizes the great work itself

y ,
is possessed also by these detached pieces in

the various places where they are inserted but ,
n ot, if I may so express i t infused And if , .
they be j udiciously inserted they impart their

,
dignity to the sentiments which they are em

ployed to enforce This employment o f the
.
sacred expressions may be very frequent as ,
the Bible co n tains such an immense variety o f

ideas applicable to all manner o f interesting
,
s u bj ects And from its being so familiarly

.
known its sentences or shorter expre ssions

,
m a y be introduced without the formality o f no

ticing either in terms or by any other mark
, ,
from what volume they are drawn —These O h .
se r v a t i o n s are more than enough to obviate any ,
imputation o f wanting a due sense of the dig

n it a n d force which may be imparted by a
y
judici o us introduction o f the lang u age of the
Bible .
It is a di fferent mode O f using biblical lan

guage that constitutes so considerable a part
,
o f the dialect which I have ventured to dis

approve When insertions are made fro m the
.
Bible in the manner here described as e ffective

and ornam ental the composition exhibits two
,
kinds O f diction each bearing its o wn separate

,
character ; the one being the dictio n which

belongs to the author the other that o f the
,
s acred book whence the citations are drawn .

322 ON TH E A VE RSI ON or MEN OF TA S TE
We pass along the course o f his language with

the ordinary feeling o f being addressed in a
common general phraseology ; and when the
pure sc ripture expressions occur they are re ,
cognized in their o w n peculiar character and ,
with the sense that we are reading in small ,
detached portions just so much o f the Bible

,
itself .This distinct recognition Of the two

separate characters o f lan guage prevents any
impression o f an uncouth heterogeneous c o n
sistence But in the th eological dialect that
.
,
part o f the phraseology which has a biblical

cast is neither the o n e Of these two kinds Of
,
language n or the other but an inseparable ,
though crude amalgam of both Fo r the ex .
pressions resemblin g those O f scripture are

blended and moulded into the substance o f
the diction I sa y r esemblin g ; for though some
.
o f th e m are precisely phrases from the Bible ,
yet most o f them are phrases a little modified

from the form in which they occur in the
sacred book by changing or adding words by
, ,
compounding two phrases into on e and by ,
fitt ing the rest o f the language to the biblical

phrases by an imitative antique construction .
In this manner the scriptural expressions i n ,
stead o f appearing as distinguished points o n

a common groun d as gems advantageously se t
,
in an inferior substan ce are reduced to become

,
an ordinary and desecrated ingredient in an

u ncouth phraseology They a r e no longer
.
TO EVA N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 3 23
brought directly from the scriptures by an act ,
o f thought and choice in the person who uses
them and with a recollection o f their sacred

,
origin ; but merely recur to him in the c om

mon usage of the diction into which they have
,
degenerated i n the school O f divines They .
therefore are now in no degree o f the nature

o f quotations , introduced fo r their special a p
p os i t en e ss in the particular instance as the ,
expressions o f an admired and revered human

author would be repeated .
This is the kind O f biblical phraseolo gy which

I could wish to se e less employed unless it —
,
be either more venerable or more lucid than

that which I have recommended We may b e .
allowed to doubt how far such langu age can

be venerable after considerin g that it gives
, ,
not the smallest assurance o f striking o r ele

v a t e d thought ,since in fac t a vast quantity of
most inferior writing has appeared in this kind
o f diction ; that it is n o t n ow actually drawn
from the sacred fountains ; th a t the incessant
repetition o f its phrases in every kind o f r e
ligi o u s exercise and performance has worn o u t
any solemnity it might ever have had ; and
that it is the very usual concomitant a n d S ign
o f a servilely systematic and cramped man
ner o f thinking .It may be considered also ,
that from whatever high origin any modes and

,
figures o f S peech may b e drawn t hey are ,
reduced in point Of dignity to the quality of

, ,
Y 2
324 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF M EN O F TA S TE
the material with which they beco me interfused ;

so tha t if the whole character o f the dialect
o f divines is n o t adapted t o excite veneration ,
the proportion o f it which gives a colour o f

s cripture phraseology n o t standing o u t distinct
-
,
from the composition will have lost the virtue

,
to excite it And again let it be considered

.
, ,
that in alm ost all cases an attempt to imitate

,
the peculiarity of form in which a venerable

Obj ect is presented not only fails to excite
,
veneration but provokes t he contrary senti

,
ment ; especially when all things in the for m

Of the venerable model are homogeneous while ,
the imitation exhibits some features o f resem

blance incongruously combined with what i s
mainly an d unavoidably Of a di fferent cast A .
grand ancient edifice o f whatever order or if

, ,
it were Of a construction peculiar to itself would ,
be an impressive Obj ect ; but a modern little

on e raised in its neighbourhood Of a conforma
,
tion for the greatest part glaringly v ulgar but ,
w ith a number o f antique windows and angles
in imitation Of the grand structure would be a ,
g r otesque and ridiculous o n e .
S criptural phrases then can n o longer make

a solemn impression w hen modified and vul
,
a r iz e d into the texture o f a language which

g ,
taken altogether is the reverse Of every thing

,
that can either attract o r command S uch .
idioms may indeed remind o n e o f prop hets and

apostles but it i s a recollection which prompts
,
to sa y, Who are these m en that instead o f ,
respectfully introducing at intervals the direct

words o f those revered dictators Of truth seem ,
to be mocking the sacred language by a bar

barous imitative diction o f their o w n ? They
may a ffect the forms o f a divine solemnity ,
but there is n o fire fro m heaven They may .
S how something like a burning bush but it is ,
without an angel .
As to perspicuity there will n o t be a ques

,
tion whether that be on e of the r e c o mm e n da

tions o f this corrupt modification o f the biblical
phraseology Without o u r leave the m ode o f
.
,
expression habitually associated with the general

exercise o f ou r intelligence conveys ideas to ,
us the most easily and the most clearly And .
not unfrequently even in citing the pure ex

pressions o f scripture especially in doctrinal
,
subj ects a religious instructor will find it i n

,
dispensable to add a sentence in order to expose

the sense in a plainer manner ; and that n o t
as comment but as explanation He has many
,
.
occasions for seeing that unless he do this ,
there will n o t be in the minds o f the persons

,
to be instructed exactly and definitively the idea

,
which he understands t o be expressed in the

cited passage . E ven to possess hi msel f of a
clear apprehension there is he might perceive

, ,
in his mind a kind Of translating operation

, ,
embodying the idea in more common language ,
equivalent t o the biblical .

Bu t would not the disuse o f a language which

Seems t o bear a constant reference t o t he Bible ,
by this intimate blending Of its phraseology ,
tend to put the Bible o u t Of remembrance ?

It may be answered that the Bible as a book
, ,
which will be read beyond all comparison more

than any other will keep i tsel
, f i n remembrance ,
among the serious part o f mankin d Besides .

,
it may be presumed that religious teachers and

writers however secularized the language they
,
may adopt will t o o Often bring the sacred book

,
in vie w by direct reference and citation to ,
admit any danger from them o f i t s being

, ,
forgotten And though its distinct unmodified

.
expressions should be introduced much seldomer

in the course of their sentences than t he half ,
scriptural phrases are recurring in the diction

under consideration they would remind us Of
,
t he Bible in a more advantageous manner than ,
a dialect which has lost the dignity o f a sacred

language without acquiring the grace Of a
classical one I am sen sible in ho w many
.
points the illustration would be defective but ,
it would partly answer my purpose t o Observe ,
that if it were wished to promote the study o f

some venerated human author Of a former age ,
suppose Hooker the way would not be to

,
attempt incorporating a great number o f his

turns o f expression into the essential structure
Of o u r own diction which would generally have
,
a most uncouth e ffect but to make respectful

,
references and Often to insert in o u r composi

,
tion sentences and parts Of senten ces distinctly

, ,
a s hi s while o u r o w n cast o f diction was c o n

,
formed to the general modern standard .
L et the oracles Of inspiration be ci t ed c o n

ti n u a l
ly both as authority and illustration in a
, ,
manner that Shall make the mind instantly refer

each expression that is introduced to the vener
able book whence it is taken ; but let our part
of religious language be simply ours and let ,
those oracles retain their characteristic for m o f

expression unimitated unparodied t o the end , ,
of ti me fi l
e
I n the a bove r e m a rks I h a v e n o t m a d e a n y dis tinc tion

,
b et w e en the s a cre d books in th eir own l a ngu a ge a n d a , s
t ra nsl a t e d . I t m igh t n o t h ow e v e r b improp e r t o no t ic e

e ,
t ha t though t he r e is a gr ea t p e culi a ri t y o f l a ngu a g e in t h e
origin a l yet a c e r ta in propo r tion of the phra s e ol gy a s i t

, o ,
s t a n ds in t he t r a n l a t e d scrip t u e s do e s n o t prop e rly b e long

s r ,
t o t he s t ruc t ur e of th e origin a l composi tion b u t i s t o b e ,
a sc r ib e d t o t he compl e xion o f t h e l a n gu g e a t t h a t im e w he n e
t he t ra nsl a t ion w a s m a de A t r a sl a t ion t he r efor e m a d

. n , , e
now a n d conform e d t o t he pr e s en t s t at e o f the l a ngu a g e i

, , n
th e s a m e de gr e e i which the ea rli er t r a nsl a t ion w a s con

n
for me d t o the s t a t e o f the l a ngu a ge a t t h a t t im e woul d m a k e ,
an a l t era ti no in som e p a rt O f tha t p hr a s e ology which the

s
t he ologic a l di a l e c t h a s a t t e mp t e d t o incorpor a t e n d imi t a t e a .
I f th er e fo r e i t wer e the dut y of divin e s t o t a k e t he biblic a l

mo de o f e xpre ssion for their model i t would s till b e quit a
,
e
work O f sup er e rog a t ion t o t a k e t hi mo del in a wi de r d gre e

s e
o f di ffer enc from the or din a ry l a ngu a g e sui t ed t o s er ious

e
t hought s t ha n i t woul d a pp ea r in u c h a l a t e r v e rsion

as s .
T his woul d b e a hom g e n o t t o the r ea l dic tion o f t he

a ,
An advocate fo r the theological di ctio n w ho ,
sho u ld hesitate t o maintain its necessity o r

utility o n the ground that a considerable pro
portion O f it has grown o u t o f the language Of
s a cr ed scrip ture s b u t t o the e a rli r c a s t O f o u r o w n la n

, e
gu a ge A t t he s a m e t im e i t m us t b e a dm it t e d bo th t ha t t he
.
,
cha ng e o f e xpr e s ion whi ch a la t e r v e rsion might o n m r ely

s ,
e
philologic a l principl e s b e j us t ifi e d by the progr e ss a n d pr e

,
s en t s t a n da r d o f o u r l a gu a g for m a king would n o t b e

n e ,
gre a t ! a n d t ha t e v ery s e n tim en t o f p r u denc e a d de vo tion a l n
t a s t e forbi ds t o m a k qui t e s o much a l te r a t ion a s th os e prin

e
ci l
p e
s mig h t w a rr a n t A ll .who h a v e long v n r a t e d t he e e
scrip t ur e s in their so me wh a t a n t iqu e v ersion wo uld pro te s t ,
a g a ins t t h eir b e ing l a borio u sly mo de rni e d in t o v ery nic e

z e
conformi t y wi th the pr e s en t s t a n da r d o f the l a ngu a ge a n d ,
a g a ins t a n o t he r t h a n a v e ry li t e r a l t r a nsl a t ion I f i t coul d

y .
b e suppos e d t ha t ou r l a ngu a g e ha d n o t ye t a t t a in e d a fix e d
s ta t e b u t woul d progr e sively change for a ge s t o com e
, s ,
i t woul d b e de sir a bl e t ha t t he t r a nsl a t ion of t he Bibl e

Sh oul d a lw a ys con t inu e e xc ep t i w ha t migh t e ss en ti a lly
, n
af f c t t he s ens e a c en t ury o t w o b ehin d for t he s a k e o f t ha t

e , r ,
v en er abl e a i r whi ch a sha de o f a n tiqui ty confe rs on t he form ,
o f wha t is so s a c e d a n d a u thori t a t iv e in sub s t a nc

r Bu t I e.
c a nno t a llow th a t the s a m e la w is t o b e e x t n de d t o the la e n
gu a ge O f di v in e s T hey ha v e no right t o a ssum e the s a m e

.
groun d a d th s a m e dis tinc t ions a s t he Bibl ; they ought

n e e
n ot t o a f f c t t o k eep i t comp a ny
e T he r e is no sol em n di g
.
n it
y in t h e ir wri t ings w hic h , c an cl a im t o b e inv est d e
wi th a v en era bl p e culi a ri t y I mi t a t e th Bibl e or o t t heir

e . e n ,
composit ion i m e r ly of t h or di a ry hum a n q ali t y a n d

s e e n u ,
subj e c t t o the s a m e rul e s a s t ha t of their con t e mpor ri e s w ho a
wri t e on o th er subj ec t s An d i f t hey r e m a in b hi n d the

. e
a dv a nc e d s t a t e of t h cl a ssic l dic tion thos e con t e mpor a ri e s

e a ,
will n ot a llow t he m t o e xcus e t he ms elve s by pr et n ding t o e
i den tify thems elv e s wi th t he Bibl e .

scripture may yet think it has become n e c e s

,
sary in consequence o f S O many people having

been S O long accustomed to it I cannot but be .
aware that many respectable teachers o f christi

,
an it
y would find a very great di fficulty to depart
from their inveterate usage N or could they .
acquire if the change were attempted a happy

, ,
command o f a more general language without ,
being considerably conversant with good writers

on general subj ects and sedulously exercising
,
themselves to throw their thoughts into a some

what S imilar current of language Unless .
,
therefore this study has been cultivated o r is

, ,
intended to be cultivated it will perhaps be ,
better for them especially if far advanced in life

, ,
to retain the accustomed mode of expression

with all disadvantages Younger theological
.
students however are supposed to become

, ,
acquainted with those authors who have dis

played the utmost extent and powers o f lan
guage in its freest form ! and it i s right fo r them
to be told that evangelical doctrine would incur
no nec e ssary corruption or profanation by being
conveyed in so liberal diversified and what I, ,
may call n a tur a l a diction ; a language which

may be termed the day light of thought as c om
-
,
pared with the artificial lights of the peculiar

dialect — With regard also to a considerable
.
proportion of christian readers and heare rs I ,
am sensible that a reformed language wo u ld be

excessively strange to them But may I not .
330 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
a llege without a n y affectation o f paradox that

, ,
i t s being so strange to them would be a proof

that it i s q u ite time it were adopted ? F or the
manner i n which some of them would receive
this altered dialect would prove that the cus
,
t o ma r y phraseology had scarcely given them any

clear notions It would be found as I have O h
.
,
served before that to them the peculiar phrases

,
had been n ot so much the vehicles o f ideas a s ,
substitutes for them S O undefined has been

.
their understanding o f the sense while they me ,
ly chimed to the sound that if they hear

c ha n i c a l ,
the very ideas which these phrases signify o r ,
did or S hould signify expressed ever so plainly

,
in other language they do not recognise them

,
and are instantly o n the alert with the epithets ,
sound orthodox and all the watch words o f

, ,
-
ecclesiastical suspicion F or such christians the

.
,
diction is the convenient asylum Of ignorance ,
indolence a n d prej udice

,
.
But I have enlarged far beyond my intention ,
which w a s only to represent with a S hort ill u s ,
t ra ti on that this peculiar dialec t is unfavourable

,
to a cordial reception Of evangelical doctrines in

minds o f cultivated taste This I know to be a .
fact from many observations in real li fe espe ,
c ial ly among intellectual young persons n o t ,
altogether regardless o f serious subj ects a n d not ,
seduced though not o u t Of danger o f being so

, ,
by the cavils against the divine authority of

christianity itself .
After dismissing the consideration Of the lan

guage which has unfortunately been made the
,
canonical garb of religion I meant to have taken

,
a somewhat more general view of the accumula

tion of bad writing under which the evangelical
,
theology has been buried ; and which has c o n

tributed to bring its principles in disfavour with
t o o many persons of accomplished mental habits .
A large proportion o f that writing m a y be se n

t e n c e d as bad on more accounts than merely
,
the peculiarity of dialect But this is an i n .
vidions topic and I S hall make only a few

,
Observatio n s .
P roofs of an intellect considerably above the

common level with a literary execution dis
,
ci l i n ed t o great correctness and partaking

p ,
somewhat of elegance are requisite o n the

,
l owest terms Of acceptance for good writing ,
with cultivated readers S uperlatively strong

.
sense will indeed command attention and even ,
admiration in the absence of all the graces and

, ,
notwithstanding much incorrectness or c lu msi

ness in the workmanship of the composition .
But when thus standing the divested and sole

excellence it must be pre eminently c on spi c u
,
-
ous to have this power Below this pitch of

.
single or of combined merit a book cannot ,
please persons O f discerning judgment and

refined taste though its subj ect be the most
,
interesting on earth ; and for acceptablenes s ,
therefore the subj ect i s unfortunate in coming

,
332 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN or TA S TE
to those persons in that book A disgusting cup .
will spoil the finest elemen t which can be c o n

v e e d in i t though that were t h nectar f
y ,
e o
immortality .
No w in this view I suppose it will be a c

, ,
knowledged that the evangelical cause has been ,
o n the whole far from happy in its prodigious

,
list o f a uthors A number o f them have dis

.
played a high order o f excellence ; but o n e

regrets a s to a much greater n u mber that they ,
did n o t revere the dignity o f their religion too

much t o beset and su ffocate it with their super
,
flu o u s o fferings To yo u I n c ed n o t expatiate
.
on the character o f the collective christian

library It will have been obvious to you that
.
there is a multitude o f books which form the

perfect vulgar o f religious authorship ; a vast
exhibition Of the most subordinate materials
that can be called thought in language t o o ,
grovelling to be called style S ome Of these .
writ ers seem to have concluded that the great

ness o f the su bj ec t w a s to do every thing and ,
“
that they had but to pronounce like D avid the
”
name o f the L ord of Hosts to give pebbles ,
, ,
the force o f darts and spears O thers appear to .
have really wanted the perception Of any great

di fference in point o f excellence between the
, ,
meaner and the superior modes o f writing If .
’ ’
they had read alternately Barrow s o r S outh s
pages and their o wn t hey probably might have
,
doubted on which S ide t o assign the palm .

A number of them citing in a perverted sense

,
“
, ,
” “
the language Of S t P aul n o t with excellency o f
.
,
“
’
speech not with enticing words of man s w i s
”
,
’
do m, n o t in the words which man s wisdom
teacheth expressly disclaim every thing that

,
belongs t o fine writing n o t exactly as what they

,
could n ot h ave attained but a s what they judge

,
incompatible with the simplicity Of evangelical

truth and intentions In the books Of these
.
several but kindred classes you are mortified to

see ho w low religious thought and expression
c a n sink ; and o u almost wonder how it was
y
possible fo r the noblest ideas that are known to
the sublimest intelligences the ideas o f G o d Of , ,
P rovidence of redemption o f eternity t o shine

, , ,
on a serious human mind without imparting

some small occasional degree o f dignity t o t he
strain o f thought The indulgent feelings which
.
,
ou entertain for the intellectual and literary

y
deficiency of humble christi a ns in their religious
communications in private are with difficulty ,
extended to those who make fo r their thoughts

this demand on public attention ! it w a s n e c e s
sary for them to be christians but what m ade ,
it their duty to become authors ?

M any o f the
books are indeed successively ceasing with the ,
progress Of time to be read or known ; but the

,
new supply continually brought forth is so nu

m er o u s that a person who turns his attention
,
to religious reading is certain to meet a variety

o f them N ow only suppose a man who has
.
been conversant and enchanted with the works

o f eloquence glowing poetry finished elegance
, , ,
o r strong reasoning t o meet a number o f these

,
books in the outset o f his more serious inquiries ;

in what light would the religion O f C hrist a p
pear t o him if he did n ot find some happier
,
illustrations o f it 7
There is another large class o f christian

books which bear the marks o f learning cor
, ,
r e c t n e ss and an orderly understanding ; and

,
by a general propriety leave b u t little to be

censured ; b ut which di splay no invention no ,
prominence o f thought o r living vigour o f ,
expression ; all is flat and dry as a plain o f sand .
It is perhaps the thousandth iteration of com

mon places the listless attention to which is
-
,
hardly an action o f the mind you seem to n u

de r st a n d it all and mechanically assent while
,
you are thinking o f something else Though .
the author has a rich immeasurable field o f pos

sible varieties o f reflection and illustration around
him he seems doomed to tread over again the
,
narrow space o f ground long S ince trodden to

dust and in all his move ments appears clothed
,
in sheets o f lead .
There i s a smaller class that might be called

mock eloquent writers These saw the e ffect
-
.
o f brilliant expression in those works o f elo

u e n c e and poetry where it w a s dictated and
q
animated by energy of thought ; and very rea
so n a bl wished that christian sentiments might
y
assume a language as impressive as any su b

ec t had ever employed to fascinate or command
j .
But unfortunately they forgot that eloquence

,
resides essentially in t he thought and that n o ,
words can make genuine eloquence o f that

which would n o t be such in the plainest that
could fully express the sense O r probably .
,
they were quite confident o f the excellence

Of the thoughts that were demanding to be
so finely sounded forth P erhaps they con
.
cluded them to be vigorous and sublime fro m

the very circumstance that they disdained to ,
show themselves in plain language The writers .
would be but little inclined to suspect of poverty

o r feebleness the tho u ghts which seemed so
n aturally to be assuming in their minds and on ,
their page such a magnificent style A gaudy

, .
verbosity is always eloquence in the opinion

O f him that wr ites it ; b u t what is the e ffect
o n the reader R eal eloquence strikes with
immediate force and leaves n o t the possibility
,
of asking o r thinking whether it be elo

q u en c e ; but the sounding sentences Of these
writers leave you cool enough to examine with
doubtful curiosity a language that seems threat
en i n to move or astonish you without actually
g ,
it
I Shoul d ccura t e an d sa y t he r e a der of di sciplin d
be a , ,
e
j u dgm en t a n d goo d t a s t e for i t is tru e e no u gh t ha t r ea ders

a e
r o t w a n t ing
n n or fe w who c a n b e t a k e n wi t h gl
, , ar e a d
n
bomb a s t .
doing so It is something like the case o f a

.
false alarm o f thunder ; where a sober man ,
w h o is n o t apt t o startle at sounds looks o u t t o ,
s e e whether it be not the rumbling o f a cart .
V ery much at your ease yo u contrast the pomp

,
o f the expression with the quality o f the

tho u ghts ; and then read on fo r amusement o r ,
cease to read from disgust In a serious hour .

,
indeed the feelings both o f amusement and dis

,
gust give place to the regret that it should be ,
in the power Of bad writing to brin g the most

important subj ects in danger o f something worse
than failing to interest The unpleasing e ffect
.
it has o n your o w n mind will lead yo u to a ppr e

hend its having a very injurious o n e o n many
others .
A principal device in the fabrication Of this

style is to multiply epithets dry epithets laid
, , , ,
on the surface and into which n o vitality of the

,
sentiment is found to circulate Yo u may take

a nu mber o f the words out of each page and ,
find that the sense is neither more nor less fo r

your having cleared the composition o f these
epithets of chalk o f various colours with which ,
the tame thoughts had submitted to be dappled

and made fine .
Under the denomination o f mock eloquence -
may also be placed the mode O f writing which

endeavours to excite the passions n o t by pre ,
S enting striki n g ideas Of the Obj ect o f pas

sion but by the appearance o f an emphatical
,
’
e nunciation of the writer s own feelings concer n
ing i t You are n o t made t o perceive h o w t he
.
thing itself has the most interesting claims o n

your heart ; but are re quired to be a ffected
in mere sympathy with the author w ho a t ,
tempts your feelings by frequent exclamations ,
a n d perhaps by an incessant application to his
fellow mortals o r t o their R edee mer o f all

-
, ,
the appellations and epithets o f pas sion and ,
s ometimes of a kind of passion not appropriate
to the Obj ect To this last great O bj ect espe

.
,
5
c ially such forms o f expressio n are occasionally
,
a pplied as must excite a revolting emotion in a

,
m a n who feels that he cannot meet the same

being at once o n terms o f adoration and Of
c aressing equality .
It would be going beyond my purpose to ,
carry my remarks from the literary merits to ,
the moral and theological c haracteristics o f ,
christian books ; else a very strange account

could be given O f the I nj uries which the gospel
has su ffered from its friends Y o u might Often .
meet with a systematic writer in whose hands ,
the whole wealth and varie t y and m a gn i fi

, ,
cence of revelation S hrink i n to a meagre list

, ,
o f doctrinal oints and w ho will let no verse

p ,
in the Bible tell its meaning or presume to have ,
on e
, till it has taken its stand by o n e o f those
points Y o u may meet with a christian polemic
.
,
who see ms to val u e the arguments fo r evan

eli c a l truth as an assassin values his d a gger
g ,
z
338 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
and for the same reason ; with a descanter

o n the i n visible world w ho makes yo u think Of
,
a popish cathedral and from the vulgarity o f

,
whose illuminations yo u are glad t o escape into

the solemn twilight of faith ; o r with a gri m
zealot for such a theory o f the divine attributes
and govern m ent as seems to delight in r epr e
,
senti n g the D eity as a dreadful king Of furies ,
whose dominion is overshaded with vengeance ,
whose music i s the cries o f victims and whose ,
glory requires to be illustrated by the r uin Of

his creation .
It is quite unnecessary to sa y that the list ,
o f excellent ch ristian writers would be very

considerable . But a s to the vast mass o f
books that would by the consenting a dj u dg
,
ment of a ll men o f liberal cultivation remain ,
after this deduction o n e cannot help deploring

,
the e ffect which they must have had on u n

known thousands O f readers It would see m
.
beyond all question that books which though ,
even asserting the essential truths o f christi

an it yet utterly preclude the full impression
y,
O f its character ; which exhibit i t s claims on

admiratio n and a ffection with insipid feeble
ness o f sentiment ; o r which cramp its simple
majesty into an a r ti fic a l form at once distorted
and mean ; must be seriously prejudicial to the
influence Of this sacred subject though it be ,
admitted that many Of them have sometimes

imparted a measure both o f instruction and
of consolation This they might do and yet a t

.
,
the s a me time convey extre m ely contracted and

inadequ ate ideas o f the su bj e c t fi There are a
"
great many o f them into which an intelligent

christian cannot look wi t hout r ej o i c m g that t hey
were not the books from which he received his
impressions o f the glory o f his religion There .
are many which no t hing w o u ld i n du c e him ‘
even though he did not materially di ffer fro m

them in the leading articles o f his belief t o put ,
into the hands o f an I nquiring young person ;

which he would be sorry and ashamed t o se e o n
the table o f an infidel ; and some Of which he
regr ets t o t hin k m a y still c o n t ri b u t e t o keep
.
_
down the standard o f religious taste if I may so ,
express it among the public instructors of man

,
kind O n the whole it would appear that a

.
,
profound veneration for christianity would i n

duce the wish that after a judicious selection o f
, ,
books had been made the C hristians also had ,
their C aliph O mar and their G eneral Amrou ,

.
It is t rue e ough tha t on e v ery o the r subj e c t o whi ch

n , n
a mul t i t u d e f books h a v e b e n wri t t e n t he r e mu t ha v e

o e , s
b en m a ny whi h in a li t r a ry en e w r e b a d
e c e B u t I c a nn t
s s e . o
h elp thinking t ha t the nu mb e r c ming un de r thi s d scrip t ion o e ,
b ear a l a rge r proporti n t o the e xc ll n t o s in the r ligious e e on e e
dep a rt m en t tha n an y t h e r O n e chi ef c us e o f t hi h a

o . a s s
b e en t he mis t k e by which m ny goo d m

,
a p ro fe s ion lly a en , s a
em loy e d in r eligio h v e de m e d t h e ir r e sp c t bl
n a m net l e a e e a
p ,
comp e t en e t th O ffic e f publi p ea ki g t h p roo f o f

c o e o c s n , e
an e qu a l comp e t enc t o a w r k whi ch i subj c t e d t o muc h

e o s e
s er e r lit er a ry a d in t ell c t u a l l a ws
ev n e .
Z 2
LET TER V .
T HE injurious causes which I have thus far

considered are associated immediately with the
,
o b ec t and by misrepresenting it render it less

j , , ,
acceptable to refined t aste ; but there are others ,
which Operate by perverting the very principles

of this taste itself so as to put it in antipathy to
,
the religion of C hrist even though presented in

,
its own full and genuine character cleared Of all ,
these associations I shall remark chiefly o n

.
one of these causes .
I fear it is incontrovertible that what is ,
denominated P olite L iterature the grand school ,
in which taste acquires its laws and refined

perceptions and in which a re formed much
, ,
more than under any higher austerer discipline ,
the m oral sentiments is fo r the far greater , ,
part hostile to the religion of C hrist ; partly by

, ,
introducing insensibly a certain order O f opinions

unconsonant or at least not identical with the
, ,
principles o f that religion ; and still more by ,
training the feelings to a habit alien from its

spirit And in this assertion I do not refer
.
,
to writers palpably irreligious w ho have laboured ,
and intended to seduce the passions into vice ,

T o E V A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 3 41
or the judgment into the rej ection Of divine

truth ; but t o the general community o f those
elegant and ingenious authors who are read and
admired by the christian world held essential to ,
a liberal education and to the progressive a e com

p l i sh m en t O f the mind in subsequent life and ,
studied Often without an apprehension o r even ,
a thought of their injuring the views and temper

,
of spirits advancing with the N ew Testament

,
fo r their chief instructor and guide into another ,
world .
It is moder n literature that I have more parti

c ul a r l in View ; at the same time it is Obvious
y ,
that the writings of heathen antiquity have con

tinned to Operate till now in the very presence ,
and sight of christianity with their own proper

,
influence a correctly heathenish influence on

, ,
the minds O f many w ho have never thought of

denying or doubting the truth of that religion .
This is just a s if an eloquent pagan priest had

been allowed constantly t o accompany our L ord
in his ministry and had divided with him the
,
a ttention and i n terest of hi s disciples counter ,
acting o f course as far as his e fforts were suc

, ,
c e ssful the doctrine and spI rIt of the Teacher

,
from
It is howe ve r n o p a rt of my Obj e ct i n the s e l et t ers t o

re m ark on the influ enc e in mo der n tim e s of t he fa b ulou
, ,
s
re ligion t h a t i fe s t ed th e a nci en t works of genius Tha t

n .
influ enc e is a t the pr e s en t time I Should t hink ex tr emely

, ,
3 42 ON TH E A VE RSI O N OF MEN OF TA S TE
The few observations which the subject m a y

requ ire to be made o n ancient literature will be ,
directed to the part o f it most immediately

descriptive Of what may be called human reali t y ,
representing character sentiment and action , ,

.
For it will be allowed that the purely specula ,
tive part o f that literature has in a great mea

sure ceased to interfere with the intellectual
discipline o f modern times It obtains t o o little .
attention and t o o little deference t o contribute

, ,
m aterially t o the formation Of the mental habits ,
which a r e adverse to the christian doctrines and

S pirit D i v ers learned and fanatical devotees
.
to antiquity and paganism have indeed made ,
sm a ll fr m t he fa bl e s b eing so s ta l e a ll r e a de rs a r e u ffi i
, o s c
e n t ly t ir e d of Jupi t e r A pollo M in erv a a n d the r e s t

, , As , .
long h w ev e r a s t he y coul d b O f the sm alle s t s ervic e t he y

o e ,
w e r e piously r et a in e d by the chri tia n po et s o f this a n d o the r s
coun t ri e s w ho a e now un de r the n e c e ssi t y of s e king o u t

, r e
for som e o ther my t hol gy th nor th rn o r t he ea s t e n to

o ,
e e r ,
suppor t t he la nguishing Spiri t of p o et ry E v en t h ugly . e
pi c e of woo d worshipp e d in t he S ou th Sea isl a n ds w i ll

e s , ,
pr b a bly a t l a s t r e c eiv n a m e s t ha t m a y m r e comm diously

o e o o
hit ch in t o v e rs e a d b e invok ed t o a dorn a d s a nc tify the

, n n
b ll e s l et t r s o f th n e x t c en t ury T he M exi c a n a bomin a

e e e .
t ions a n d in fe rn li ti e s ha v e a lr ea dy r e c eiv e d f om us t he ir
a r
e pic t ribu t e T h po e t ha s no r e a son t o f a r t ha t t h supply

e e
”
. e
o f go ds m a y fa il ; i t is a t t he s a m e t im a pi t y o e t hinks e n ,
th a t a cr ea t ur e so imm ns h ul d h a v e b ee n pl c d in a
e e s o a e
worl d o sm a ll a s t his w h r ll n a t ur a ll his t ory a ll

s , e e a e,
,
m or ls a ll t ru e r eligion a d t h whol r e urc e s o f in oc e n t

a , , n e e so n
fic tion a e t o o li t tl e t furn ish m a t e ri als enough for the w an t s

, r o
a n d l a bours of his g enius .

TO E V A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 3 43
some e ffort to recall the long departed venera

tion fo r the dreams and subtleties o f ancient
philosophy But they might with as good a
.
prospect o f success recommend the building o f

temples o r a pantheon and the revival of the
,
institutions of idolatrous worship The greater.
nu mber o f intelligent and even learned men

, ,
would feel but little regret in consigning the

largest proportion o f that philosophy to o b
liv i o n ; unless they may be supposed to like it
as heathenism more than they admire it as
wisdom ; or unless their pride would wish to
retain a reminiscence Of it for contrast to their
o w n more rational philosophizing .
The ancient speculations o f the religious

order include indeed some splendid ideas r e
lating to a S upreme Being ; but these ideas
impart no attraction to that immen sity o f inane
and fantastic follies from the chaos of which
they stand o u t as o f nobler essence and origin
,
.
F or the most part they probably were tra

di ti o n a r y remains o f divine communications to
m a n in the earliest ages A few o f them were
.
,
possibly the utmost e fforts o f human intellect

, ,
at some happy moments excelling itself But .
in whatever proportions they be referred to the

on e origin o r the other they stand so di s
,
t i n gu i she d from the accumulated multifarious

vanities of pagan speculation o n the subject o f
D eity that they throw contempt on those
,
speculations . They throw contempt on the

greatest part o f the theological dogmas and

fancies o f even the very philosophers who would
cite and applaud the m They rather direct o u r .
contemplation and a ffection toward a religion

divinely revealed than Obtain any degree of
,
favour for those notions of the D ivinity which ,
S prung and indefinitely multiplied from a melan

c ho l combination of ignorance and depraved
y
imagin ation AS to the apparent analogy b e
.
tween certain particulars i n the pagan religions ,
and some O f the most specific articles o f christi

a n it those notions are presented in such fan
y
,
t a st i c a n d varyi n g and Often m onstrous S hapes

, , ,
that they can be O f n o prejudice to the christian

faith either by pre occupying in o u r minds the
,
-
place O f the christian doctrines or by indis

.
,
posing u s to ad m it them or by perverting our ,
conception o f them .
As to the ancient metaphysical speculation ,
whatever may be the tendency o f metaphysical

study in general or o f the particular systems o f
,
modern philos o phers as a ffecting the cordial ,
a n d simple admission of christian doctrines the ,
ancient metaphysics may certainly be pro

n ou n c e d i noperative and harmless If it were .
possible to analyze the mass o f what m a y be

termed o u r elfec t i v e literature S O as to ascertain ,
what elements and in t erfusions in it have been

o f influe n tial power and in what respective
,
proportions in forming o u r habits Of thinkin g

,
and feeli n g it is probable that a very small

,
TO EV A N G E LICAL R E LI GI ON . 3 45
S hare would be found derived from the ideal

the o ries o f the Old philosophers It i s probable .
also that in future n o t o n e of a thousand men

, ,
cultivated in a respectable degree will ever take ,
the trouble o f a resolute and persisting e ffort

to master those speculations Besides the t o o
.
prevailing and still increasing indisposition to

metaphysical study in a n y school there is a ,
settled conviction that those speculations were

baseless and useless and that whoever aspires
,
to the high and abstracted wisdom must learn

it from the later philosophers And a s the only
.
thing we can seek and value in pure abstracted

speculations is truth when the persuasion Of
,
their truth is gone their attraction and influence

are extinct . That which could please the
imagination or interest the affections might in ,
a considerable degree continue to please and

interest them though convicted o f much fallacy
, .
But that which is t o o subtile a n d intangible t o

please the imagination loses all i t s power w hen
,
it is rej ected by the judgment This is the .
predicament to which time ha s reduced the

metaphysics of the Old philosophers The cap .
t i v a t i on o f their systems se ems almost a s far
wit hdrawn from us as the so n gs o f their S yrens ,
or the enchantments o f M edea .
While these thin speculations have been su s

pe n ded i n air taking all the forms and colo u rs
,
of clouds o r rainbow s meteors o r fogs the

, ,
didactic mo ra lit v o f some of the ancient philo

sophers faithfully keeping t o the solid ground

,
o f human interests ha s doubtless had a co u si

,
de r a b le influence o n the moral sentiments Of

cultivated men progressively o n t o the present
,
ti m e A certain quali t y derived from it into

.
,
literature has perpetuated its operation indi

,
r e c t l 0 11 many who are n o t conversant with i t

y
immediately at i t s origin But it ma y have a .
considerable direct influence o n those w ho are

in acquaintance with the great primary moralists
themselves After a long detention amo n g the
.
vagaries and monsters o f m ythology o r a b e ,
wildered adventure in t he tenebrious and fan

t a sti c region o f ancient metaphysics in chase o f ,
that truth which the pursuer sometimes thinks ,
though doubtfully that he sees but which s t ill

, ,
eludes him the student Of antiquity is gratified

,
at meeti n g with a sage who leads him among

interesting realities and discourses to him in ,
plain and impressive terms o f direct instruction

con cerning moral principles and the means Of
happiness And S ince it is necessarily the su b
.
st a n t i a l Obj ect Of this instruction to enforce

virtue excellence goodness he feels little a p
, , ,
prehension o f any vitiati n g e ffect o n hi s moral

sentiments He entirely forgets that moral
.
excellence o r virtue has been defined and e n

, ,
forced by another authority ; and that tho u gh

a large portion o f the scheme must be a s matter ,
o f practice mainly the same in the dictates of

,
that authority and in the writings o f E pictetus

, ,
or C icero Antoninus yet there is a S peci fic

, or ,
difference Of substance in certain particulars and

a most important o n e in the principles that c o n
st i t u t e the general basis While he is a dmirin g
.
the beauty o f virtue as displayed by o n e a c c o m

p l i she d m oralist and i t s lofty
,
independence as
exhibited by another he is not admonished to,
suspect that any thing in their sentiments o r ,
hi s animated coalescence with them can be ,
wro n g .
But the part O f ancient literature which has

had incomparably the greatest influence on the
character of cultivated minds is that which has ,
turned if I may so express it moral sentiments

, ,
into real bei n gs and interesting companions by ,
displaying the life and actions o f eminent indi

v i du a l s A few o f the personages Of fiction are
.
also to be included The captivating spirit

.
Of G reece and R ome dwells in the works of

the biographers ; in SO much of the history as
might properly be called biography from i fs
, ,
fixing the whole attention and interest o n a few

S ignal names and in the works o f the principal
poets .
NO o n e I suppose will deny that both the

, , ,
characters and the sentiments which are the ,
favourites O f the poet and the historian become ,
the favourites also o f the admiring reader ; for

this would be a Virtual denial O f the excellence
of the performance in point o f eloquence or
,
poetic spirit It is the high test and proof o f

.
”
genius that a writer can render his subj ect i n

t e r e st i n g to his readers not merely in a general ,
w a y but in the v er y sa me ma n n er in which it

,
interests himself If the great works o f anti

.
u it had not this power they would long since

q y ,
have ceased to charm We could not long .
tolerate what caused a revolting o f our moral

feelings while it was designed to please them
, .
Bu t if their characters and sentiments really do

t hus fascinate the heart how far will this i n flu ,
ence be coincident with t he spirit and with the

design o f christianity
Among the poets I shall notice only the two ,
o r three pre eminent ones o f the

-
E pic class .
Homer yo u kno w is the favourite of the whole

, ,
civilized world ; and it is many centuries since

there needed o n e additional word o f homage to
the prodigious genius displayed in the Iliad .
The Obj ect o f inquiry is what kind of predis ,
position will be formed toward christianity in a

young and an imated spirit that learns to glow , ,
with enthusiasm a t the scenes created by the

poet and to I ndulge an ardent wish which that
, ,
if
I t m ay b e no tic e d h e r e th a t a gr ea t p a r t o f wha t could
b e s a i d o n hea t h n li t r a t ur e a s oppos e d t o t he r ligion o f
e e e
C hris t mus t n e c e s ri ly r fe r t o the p e culi a r mor a l p i i t o f

, s a e s r
t ha t r eligion I t wo u l d bor de r on t he ri diculous t o r pre s en t

. e
t he m a r t i al e n thusi a s m f a nci en t his t ori a ns a d po e t a s

o n s
coun t e ra c ting t he p e culi a r d c tr i n es of t he gosp el m ea ning

o ,
by the t erm t hos e dic t a t e s of tru th th a t do n o t dir ec tly

involv e mor l dis tinc t ions
a .
TO EV A N G E LIC A L R E LIGI ON . 49
enthusiasm will probably awaken for the possi ,
b i lity O f emulating some of the principal cha

r a c t er s. L et this susceptible youth after having ,
mingled and burned in imagination among

heroes whose valour and anger flame like
,
V esuvius who wade in blood trample on dying

, ,
foes an d hurl defiance against earth and hea

,
ven ; let him be led into the company o f Jesus

C hrist and his disciples as displayed by the ,
evangelists with whose narrative I will suppose

, , ,
he is but slightly acquainted before

'
What .
must he what can he do with his feelings i n

, ,
this transition ?
He will fin d himself flung as
fa r as from the centre to the utmost pole ;
and one of these two opposite exhibitions of
character will inevitably excite his aversion .
Which of the m is that likely to be if he is ,
become thoroughly possessed with the Homeric

passions ?
O r if reversing the order you will suppose a
, ,
person to have first become profoundly inte

rested b y the N ew Testament and to have ,
acquired the spirit of the S aviour o f the world ,
while stu dying the evangelical history ; with

what sentiments will he come forth from con
versing with heavenly mildness w e epIn g bene ,
v ol en c e sacred purity and the eloquence o f

, ,
divine wisdom to enter into a scene o f such

,
actions a n d characters and to hear such max

,
ims of merit and glory as those Of Homer ? ,
He would be still more confounded by the

transition had it been possible fo r him to have

,
entirely escaped that deep dep ravation o f feeling

w hich can think of crimes and miseries with
littl e emotion and which we have all acquired
,
from viewing the prominent portion of the

’
world s history as composed o f scarcely any
thing else He would find the mightie st strai n
.
o f poetry emp l oyed t o represent ferocious c ou

rage as the greatest O f virtues and those who ,
do not possess it as worthy o f their fate to be ,
tro dden in the dust He will be taught at

.
,
least it wi ll not be the fault Of the poet if he

b e n o t taught t o forgive a heroic spirit fo r
,
finding the sweetest l u xury in Insulti n g dying

pangs and imagining the tears and despair Of
,
distant relations He will be inces sant ly called

.
upon t o worship revenge the real divinity o f ,
the Iliad in comparison o f which the Thunderer

,
o f O ly m pus i s but a subaltern pretender to

power He will b e taught t hat the m ost
'
glorious and enviable life is that to which the ,
greatest number o f other lives are m ade a sacri

fic e ; and that it is n oble in a hero to prefer
even a Short life attended by this felicity to a ,
long o n e which should permit a longer life also

t o others The terrible Achilles a being whom
.
, ,
if he had really existe d it had been wor t h a ,
temporary league of the tribes then called

nations to reduce to the quietness o f a dungeon
o r a tomb is rendered interesting eve n amidst
,
the horrors o f revenge and destruction by the ,

TO EV ANG E L I C A L R E LIGI ON . 351
intensity of his a ffection fo r his friend by the ,
mel a ncholy with which he appears in t he funeral

scene o f that friend by o n e momentary instance ,
o f compassion and by his solemn references to

,
hi s o w n impending and inevitable doom A .
reader w ho has even passed beyond the j uvenile

a rdour o f life feels himself interested in a
, ,
manner that excites at intervals his o w n su r

prise i n the fate o f this fell exterminator ; and
,
he wonders and he wishes t o doubt whether

, ,
the moral that he i s learning be after all , , ,
exactly n o other than that the grandest employ

ment o f a great spirit is the destruction of
human cr e atures so long a s revenge ambitio n
, , ,
o r even caprice may choose t o regard the m

,
un der an artificial distinction and call them

‘
en emi es But this m y dear friend is the real

.
, ,
and e ffective moral of the Iliad aft er all that ,
critics have so gravely written about lessons of

union o r any other subordinate moral i n st ru c
,
tions which they discover o r imagine in the

,
work Who but critics ever thought o r cared

.
about any such drowsy lessons ? Whatever is

the chief and gran d impression made by the
whole work o n the ardent minds which are
most susceptible o f the influence o f poetry t ha t ,
shows the real moral ; and Alexander and

C harles ! II through the medium o f M ace “ ,
”
.
’
donia s madman correctly received the genuine
,
inspiration
If it be said that such works stand on the
,
3 52 ON TH E A VE RSI ON or MEN or TA S TE
same ground except a s to the reality o r accu

,
racy o f the facts with an eloquent history

, ,
which simply ex hi bi ts the actions and characters ,
I deny the assertion The actions and charac

.
ters are presented in a ma n n er which prevents

thei r just impression and empowers them to
,
make an opposite one A transforming magic

.
o f genius displays a number o f atrocious savages
in a hideous slaughter house o f men as demi

-
,
gods i n a temple o f glory N o doubt an .
eloquent history might be so written as to give

the same aspect to such men and such opera ,
tions ; but that history would deserve t o be

committed to the flames A history that should
.
give a faithful representation o f miseries and

slaughter would set n o o n e who had not a t
, ,
t a i n e d the last depravation o n fire t o imi t ate the

,
principal actors It would excite in a de gree

.
the same emotion as the sight o f a field of dead

a n d dyin g men after a battle is over ; a sight at
which the soul would shudder and revolt and ,
earnestly wish that this might be the last time

the su n should behold such a spectacle ! but
the tendency o f the Homeric poetry and o f a ,
great part of epic poetry in gen eral is to i n ,
sinuate the glory o f repeatin g such a tragedy .
I therefore a sk again how it would b e possible

,
fo r a m a n whose mind was first completely

assimilated to the S pirit o f Jesus C hrist to read ,
such a work without a most vivid antipathy to

what he perceived to be the moral spirit of the
TO EV A N G E LICAL R E L I G ION . 3 53
?
poet And if it were not too strange a sup
position that the most characteristic parts o f
,
the Iliad had been read in the presence and

hearing of o u r L ord and by a person animated
,
by a fervid sympathy with the work— do yo u

not instantly imagin e Him expressing the most
emphatical condemnation ?
Would not th e
reader have been made to know that in the ,
spirit o f that book he could never become a

disciple and a friend of the M essiah ? But then ,
if he believed this declaration and were serious

,
enough to care about being the disciple and

friend o f the M essiah would he n o t have
,
deemed himself extremely unfortunate to have

been seduced through the pleas u res o f taste
,
and imagination into habits o f feeling which

,
rendered it impossible till their predominance

,
should be destroyed for him to receive the

,
only true religion and the only R edeemer of the

,
world ? To show how impossible it would be ,
I Wish I may be pardoned for making another

strange and indeed a most mo n strous sup p o
si t i on
, namely that Achilles D iomede Ulysses
, , , ,
and Aj ax had been real persons living in the ,
time of our L ord and had become his disciples

, ,
a n d yet excepting the m ere exchange o f the

, (
notions of mythology for christian opinions ) ,
had retained entire the state of mind with which

their poet has exhibited them It is instantly .
perceived that S atan Beelzebub and M oloch

, ,
might as consistently have been retained in

A A
heaven But here the question comes to a

.
point ! if these great examples Of glorious cha

r a c t er pretending to coalesce with the tran
sc e n de n t S overeig n of v irtues would have been
,
probably the most enormous incongruity exist

ing or that ever had existed in the creation
, , ,
what harmony can there be between a man

w ho has acquired a considerable degree o f
congeniality with the spirit of these heroes ,
and that paramount Teacher and P attern o f

excellence ? And who will assure me that the
enthusiast for heroic poetry does n ot acquire a
degree of this congeniality ? B ut unless I can
be so assured I necessarily persist in asserting
,
the noxiousness o f such poetry .
Yet the work of Homer is notwithstanding

, ,
the book which christian poets have translated ,
which christian divines have edited and com

m e n t e d o n with pride at which christian ladies
,
have been delighted to se e their sons kindle

into rapture a n d which forms an essential part
,
o f the course o f a liberal education over all ,
those countries o n which the gospel S hines .
And w ho can tell how much that passion fo r war

which from t he universality o f its prevalence
, ,
might see m inseparable from the nature of man ,
may have been in the civilized world reinforced

, ,
by the enthusiastic a dmiration with which young

men have read Homer and similar poets whose
, ,
genius transforms what i s and ought always to

,
appear purely horri d t o a n aspect of grandeur ?

,
EV A N G E LICAL R E L I G ION . 3 55
S hould it be asked What ought to be the pr a c

,
tic a l consequence of such Observations ? I may

surely answer that I cannot justly be required
to assign that consequence I can n ot b e r e .
quired to do more than exhibit in a simple light

an important point of tru th If such works .
do really i mpart their own spirit to the mind

o f an admiring reader and if this spiri t be
,
totally hostil e t o that of christianity and if ,
christianity ought really a n d in good faith to

be the supreme regent o f all moral feeling ,
then it is evident that the I liad and all books ,
whi ch combine the same tenden cy wi th great

o etical excellence are among the most mis
p ,
c hi e v o u s things on earth There is but little

.
s a tisfaction certainly in illustrating the opera

, ,
tion of evils wi t hout p r oposing any adequate

me t hod o f contending with them But in the .
p resent case I really

, do not see what a S erious
observer of the character of mankind can o ffer .
To wi sh that the works of Homer and some ,
other great authors of antiquity should cease ,
to be re ad is just as vain as to wish they had

,
never been written AS to the fa r greater

.
number o f readers it were equally i n vain to

,
-
wish that pure christian sentiments might be

sufficiently recollected and loved to a ccompany
, ,
the study and constantly prevent the injurious

,
impression of the works o f pagan genius The

,
.
few maxims of christianity to which the student

m a y have a ssented without thought and for ,
A A 2
3 56 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN or TA STE
which he ha s but lit tle veneration wil l but ,
feebly Oppose the influence ; the spirit o f Ho

mer will vanquish a s irresistibly a s his Achilles
vanquished It i s also most perfec t ly true that
.
,
as lo n g as pride ambition and vindictiveness

, , ,
hold so mighty a prevalen ce in the character

and in the nature of o u r species they would ,
still amply disp lay themselves though the sti ,
mulus o f heroic poetry were wi t hdrawn by the ,
annihilation o f all those works which have i n

vested the worst passions and the worst actions
with a glare o f grandeur Wi t h o r withou t the
.
i n fections o f heroic poe t ry men and nations ,
will continue to commit o ffences against o n e

another and t o avenge them ; to assume an
,
arrogant precedence and account it and laud it

,
a s noble spirit ; to celebrate their deeds o f de
struction and call the m glory ; t o idolize the

,
men w ho possess an d can infuse t he greatest

, ,
share o f an infernal fire ; to se t at nought all

principles o f virtue and religion in favour o f
some thoughtless vicious mortal w ho consigns
himself in the same achievement t o fame and
perdition ; t o vaunt in triumphal entries o r ,
funeral pomps o r bombastic odes o r strings o f

, ,
scalps ho w far human S kill and valour can su r

,
pass the powers o f famine and pestilence ; men

and nations will continue t hus to act till a ,
mightier intervention from heaven shall esta

blish t he dominion o f christianity In that .
better season perhaps the great works o f ancient

,
genius will be read in such a disposition o f

mind as can recei v e the intellectual improve
ment derivable fro m them and at the same t ime ,
a s little coincide or be infected with their moral
spirit as in the present age we venerate their

,
mytholo gical vanities .
In the mean time one cannot believe that

,
any man w ho seriously reflects ho w a bsol u tely

,
the religion of C hrist claims a conformity o f his

whole nature will without regret feel himself
,
animated with a class o f sentiments o f which ,
the habitual prevalence would be the total pre

cl u si o n of christianity .
And it seems to show how little this religion

is really understood o r even considered in
, ,
an o f the countries denominated christian

y ,
that so many who profess to adopt it never

once thought o f guarding their o w n minds and ,
those of their children against the eloquent

,
seductions o f so opposite a S pirit P robably .
they would be more intelligent and vigilant if ,
any other interest than that o f their professed

religion were endangered But a thing which .
injures them only in t ha t concern is sure t o ,
meet with all possible indulgence .
With respect to religious parents and pre

c e t o r s whose children and pupils are to receive
p ,
that liberal education which must inevitably

include the study o f these great works it will ,
be fo r them to accompany the youthful readers

throughout with an e ffort to show them in
, ,
the most pointed manner the inconsistency of,
many o f the sentiments both with moral recti

,
tude in general and with the special dictates

,
O f christianity .And in order to give the requi

site force to those dictates it will be an i m ,
portant dut y to illus t rate to them the amiable

tendency a n d to prove the awful authority
,
.
of this dispensation of religion This careful .
e ffort will oft en but partially prevent the mis

chief ; but it seems to be all that can be done .
’
V irgil s work is a kind of lunar reflection o f
the ardent e ffulgence o f Homer ; surrounded ,
if I may extend the figure with a bea u tifu l ,
halo o f elegance and tenderness S o much .
more refined an order of sentiment might have

rendered the heroic character far more a t tra c .
tive to a mind that can soften as well as glow

, ,
if there had actually been a hero in the poem .
But none of the personages i n tended for heroes

’
take hold enough of the reader s feelings to
assimilate them in m oral temper N o fiction .
o r histor y o f human characters and actions will
ever powerfully transfu se its spirit without some ,
o n e o r some very few individuals of sign a l

p e
c uli a r i t y or greatness to concentrate and em

,
body the whole energy of the work There .
’
would be no danger therefore o f any one s b e
coming an idolater o f the god o f w a r through
the inspiration of the i En e id even if a larger ,
proportion o f it had resounded with martial

enterprise P erhaps the chief counteraction to
.
TO EV A N G E LICAL R E L I G ION . 59
c hristian sen ti ments which I should apprehend

‘
to an opening susceptible mind would be a ,
depravation of its ideas concerning the other

world from the picturesque scenery which
,
V irgil has opened to his hero in the regions of

the dead and the i mp o sm g I mages with which
,
he has shaded the avenue to them P erhaps .
also the affecting sentiments which precede the

death of D ido might tend to lessen especially
, ,
in a pensive mind the horror of that impiety

,
w hich would throw back with violence the

possession of life as if in reproach to its great
,
Author for having su ffered that there should

,
be unh a ppiness in a world where there is sin .
LE T T E R V I .
IN naming L ucan I am not unaw a re that an

,
avowal of high admiration may hazard all credit

for correct discernment I must however con .
, ,
fess that i n spite of his rhetorical ostentati o n

, ,
and all the O ffences of a t o o inflated style he does ,
in my apprehension greatly surpass all the oth er

ancient poets in direct force of the ethical spirit ;
a n d that he would h a ve a stronger influence to
360 ON T H E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
seduce my feelings in respect to moral great

,
ness into a discordance from christian principles

,
.
His leading characters are widely di fferent from

those of Homer and o f an eminently superior
,
order The mighty genius o f Homer appeared

.
and departed in a rude age of the human mind ,
a stranger to the intellectual en largement which

would have enabled him to combine in his
heroes the dignity o f thought instead of mere ,
physical force with the energy o f passion F or

, .
want o f this they are great heroes without b e

,
ing great men They appear to yo u only as

.
tremendous fighting and destroying animals ; a

kind o f human mammoths The prowess o f .
personal conflict is all the y can understand and

admire and in their warfare their minds never
,
reach to any of the sublimer views and results

even o f war ; their chief and final obj ect seems
to be the mere savage glo ry Of fighti n g and ,
the annihilation o f their enemies When the .
heroes Of L ucan both the depraved and the

,
nobler class are employed in war i t seems b u t

, ,
a small part o f what they can do and what they ,
intend ; they ha v e always something fu rther and

greater in view than t o evince their valour o r to ,
riot in the vengeance o f Victory Ambition a s .
exhibited in P o mpey and C aesar seems almost

to beco m e a grand passion when compared to ,
’
the contracted and ferocious aim o f Homer s
chiefs ; while this p assion even thus ele v ated
, ,
serves t o exalt by comparison the far di fferent

TO E VA NG EL IEAL R E L I G ION . 36 1
and nobler sentiments and objects of C ato and

'
Brutus The contempt of death which i n the

.
,
heroes o f the Iliad often seems like an inca

’
a cit or an oblivion of thought is in L
p y u c a n,s
favourite characters the result o r at least the ,
associate o f high philosophic spirit ; and this

,
strongly contrasts their courage with that o f

’
Homer s warriors which is (according indeed
, ,
to his own frequent S imiles ) the reckless dar

,
ing o f wild beasts L ucan sublimates martial

.
into moral grandeur E ven if yo u could deduc t

.
from his great m e n all that which forms the

specific martial display o f the hero you would ,
find their greatness little diminished ; they

would still retain their commanding and i n
t er esti n g aspect . T he better class o f them ,
amidst w a r itself hate and deplore the spirit

,
and destructive exploits of war T hey are i n .
di gn a n t at the vices o f mankind for compelling

t hei r v i r t u e into a career in which such sa n
g u i n ar
y glories can be acquired And while .
they deem it their duty to exert t heir courage

in conflict for a jus t cause they regard camps
,
and battles a s vulgar things from which their,
thoughts often turn away into a train o f solemn

and presagin g reflectio n s in which they a p
,
proach sometimes the most elevated sublimity .
You have a more a bsolute impression of gran

deur from a speech o f C ato than from all the
,
mighty exploits that epic poetry ever blazone d .
’
The eloque n ce of L u c a n s moral heroes does
362 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF MEN OF TAST E
not consist in images o f triumphs and conquests ,
but in reflections o n virtue su fferings destiny

, , ,
and death ; and the sentiments expressed in

his own name have often a melancholy tinge
which renders them irresistibly interesting He .
might seem to have felt a presage wh i le mus ,
ing o n the last of the R omans that their poet ,
was soon to follow them The reader becomes

.
devoted both to the poet and to these illustrious

men ; but under the influence o f this attach
,
ment he adopts all their sentiments and exults

, ,
in the sympathy ; forgetting or unwilling to , ,
reflect whether this state of feeling be c on

,
cor dant with the religion o f C hrist and with ,
the spirit o f the apostles and martyrs The .
’
most captivatin g o f L u c a n s sentiments to a ,
mind enamoured o f pensive sublimity are those ,
concerning death I remember the very prin

.
c i ple which I would wish to inculcate that i s , ,
the necessity that a believer of the gospel should

preserve the christian tenour of feeling predo
minant i n his mind and clear of incongruous
,
mixture having struck me with great force

,
amidst the enthusiasm with which I read many

times over the memorable account o f Vu lt ei u s ,
the speech by which he inspired his gallant

band with a passion for death and the reflections
,
o n death with which the poet closes the episode .
I said to myself at the suggestion o f conscience

, ,
What are these sentiments w ith which I am

?
glowing ? Are these the just ideas of death
TO EV A N G E LICAL R E L I G ION . 363
Are t hey such a s were taught by the D ivine

Auth or of our religion ? Is this the S pirit with
wh i ch S t P aul approached his last hour ? And
.
I felt a painful collision between this reflection

and t he passion inspired b y the poet I per .
c e i v e d clearly that the kind of interest which
I felt w a s no less than a real adoption for the ,
time of the very same sentiments with which

,
he w as animated .
The e pic poetry has been selected for the

more pointed application of my remarks from ,
the b elief that it has had a much greater i n

flu en c e on the moral sentiments o f succeeding
ages than all the other po etry of antiquity by ,
means of i ts impressive display of individual

great characters An d it will be admitted that
.
the moral spirit o f the epic poets taken toge ,
ther is as little in Opposition to the christian

,
theory of moral sentiments as that of the col

le c t i v e poetry of other kinds S ome j us t and
.
fine sen timents to be found in the G reek trage

dies are in the tone of the best o f the pagan
didactic moralists An d they infuse themselves
. .
more intimately into o u r minds when thus com

ing warm in the course of p a ssIO n and action ,
and speaking to us with the emphasis imparted

by a ffe c ting and dreadful events ; but still are
of less vi vid and penetrating charm than as ,
emanati ng from the insulated magnificence of

such striking and sublime individual characters
as those of epic poetry
*
The mind o f the
.
36 4 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF M EN O F TA S TE
reader does not from those dram atic scenes

, ,
retain fo r months and years an animated r e

collection o f some personage whose name con
st a n tl recalls the sentiments which he uttered
y ,
o r with which his conduct inspired us The .
G reek d r ama is extremely deficient in both

grand and interesting characters in any sense ,
o f the epithets that S hould imply an i mp o s

ing o r a ca ptivating moral power M uch the .
greatest number of the persons and personages

brought o n the scene are such as we care no
thing about otherwise than merely o n account
,
o f the circumstances in which we see them

acti n g o r su ffering With few exceptions they
.
come o n the stage and go o ff without p o s

, ,
sessing us w ith either admiration o r affection .
When therefore the maxims o r reflections which

we hear from them have an impressive e ffect ,
it is less from a n y commanding quality in the

persons than from the striking and sometimes
, ,
portentous and fearful S ituations that the se n ,
t i m en t s have their pathos There are a few

.
characters o f greater power over our respect

and o u r sympathies w ho draw u s by virtue
, ,
Of personal qualities into a willi n g com m unio n

,
with them at times in moral princi ples and

, ,
emotions We are relieved and gratified after

.
,
passing through so much wicke dness m i sfo r ,
tune and inane common place moralizing to

,
-
,
be greeted with fine expressions o f j ustice ge ,
n e r o si t y and fidelity to a worthy purpose

,
by ,
TO EV A NG E LICAL R E L I G ION . 36 5
persons whom w e can regard a s living realiza

tions of such vi rtues It i s like finding among
.
barbarous nations (a s sometimes happens ) some

, ,
individual o r two eminently and unaccountably

above the level o f their tribe whose intelligen ce ,
and virtues have by the co n trast and the su r

,
prise a stronger attraction than S imilar qualities

,
meeting u s in a cul t ivated community But .
the delight sometimes kindled by sentiments o f

magnanimous o r gentle virtue is exceedingly ,
repressed and often quenched in the reader o f

, ,
the G reek drama by the i ncessant intrusion o f

,
a hideous moral barbarism ; especially by the

implication o f the morality with an execrable
mythology There i s an odious interference o f
.
the gods sometimes by their dissensions with

,
on e another p erplexing and confounding the

rules of human obligation ; often contravening
the best intentions and e fforts depriving v irtue
o f all confidence and resource ; despising fr a s ,
t r a ti n g o r punishing it ; turning i t s exertions

,
and sacrifices to vanity o r di saster ; and yet

to be the obj ects o f devout homage a homage ,
paid with inter mingled complaints and r e

p r o a c he s extorted
,
from defeated or su ffering
vir tue which is trying to be better than the
,
gods N othing can be more intensely dreary

.
than the moral economy as represented in much

o f that drama L e t any one contemplate it
.
as displayed for example in the P rometheus ,
C hained or the whole stories o f ( E di pu s and

,
366 ON TH E A V E RSI ON OF MEN OF TA S TE
O restes . On
the whole I have conceded much
in saying that a small portion o f the mo rality
,
o f that drama may have a place with that o f
the best of the didactic moralists .
I shall not dwell long on the biography and

history since it wil l be allowed t hat their i n flu
,
enc e is very nearly coincident with that of the

epic poetry The work of P lutarch the chief
.
,
of the biographers ( a work so necessary it

, ,
would seem to the consolations of a christian

, ,
that I have read o f some learned man declaring ,
and without a n y avo w ed rej ection of the Bible ,
that if he were to be cast o n a desert island ,
and could have one book and but o n e it should

, ,
be this ) the work of P lutarch delineates a

,
greatness partly of the same character as that

celebrated b y Homer and partly of the more
,
dignified and intellectual kind which is so com

manding in the great men of L ucan several of ,
whom indeed are t he subj ects also o f the

biographer V arious distinctions might no
.
,
doubt be remarked i n the impression made by

,
great characters as illustrated in poetry and ,
as exposed in the plainness of historical record !

but I am persuaded that the habits of feeling
which will grow from admiring the one or the
other will be substantially the same a s affecting
,
the temper of the mind in regard t o christianity .
A number of the men exhibited by the

biographers and historians rose so eminently ,
above the general character o f the human

T o EV A N G E LICAL R E L I G ION . 36 7
rac e , that their names have become i n se pa

r a bl associated with ideas of moral great
y o u r
n ess . A thoughtfu l student of antiquity enters

thi s maj estic c ompany with an I mpression o f
“
mystical a w fu ln e ss r ese mblin g that o f E zekiel
,
in hi s vision In this select and revered as

.
se mb l w e i n c lu de only those who were distin

y
u i she d by elevated virtue as well as powerful
g ,
t a lents and memorable actions Undoubtedly .
the magn ificent powers and energy without

m oral excellence so often displayed o n the field
,
o f ancient history compel a kind of prostration

,
‘
of the soul in the presence o f men whose ,
surpassing achievements seem to silence for

a while and but for a while the sense o f justice
, ,
w hich must execrate their ambition and their

‘
cri mes but where greatness of mind seems b u t

secondary to greatness of virtue as in the
.
examples of P hocion E paminondas Aristides , , ,
Timoleon D ion C imon and several more the

, , , ,
heart applauds itself for feeling an irresistible

captivation This num ber indeed is small
.
,
compared wi th the whole galaxy o f renowned

names ; but it is large enough to fill the mind ,
a n d to give as venerable an impression o f paga n
greatness a s if none of its examples had been

,
the heroes whose fierce brilliance light ens

.
t hro u gh the blackness of their depravity ; o r
the legislators orators and philosophers whose

, , ,
w isdom was degraded by imposture venality or , ,
vanity .
36 8 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
A most impressive par t o f the influence o f

ancient character o n modern feelings is derived ,
from the accoun t s o f two o r three o f the

greatest philosophers whose virtue protesting
, ,
and solitary in the times in which they lived ,
whose intense devotedness in the pursuit o f

wisdom and whose occasional sublime glimpses
,
o f apprehension ,received from beyond t he

sphere o f error in which they were enclosed and
benighted present them to the mind with some
,
thing like the venerableness o f the prophets

o f G od. Among the exhibitions o f this kind it ,
’
is unnecessary t o sa y that ! e n ophon s M emoir
o f S ocrates stands unrivalled and above c o m
parison.
S ang u ine spirits without number have pro

bably been influenced in modern times by the
an cient history o f mere heroes but persons of
a reflective dispositi on have been incomparably
more affected by the contemplation o f those
men whose combination o f mental power with
illustrious v irtue constitutes the s u preme glory
o f heathen antiquity —
.And w hy do I deem the
admiration o f this noble display o f moral ex
c ellen c e pernicious to these reflective m inds in ,
relation t o the religion o f C hrist Fo r the si m

le st possible reason ; because the principles o f
p
t hat excellence are not identic a l with the princi
ples o f this religion ; as I believe every serious
and self observant man w ho ha s been at tentive
-
t o them both will have verified in his o w n

,
TO EVA NG E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 36 9
experience He has felt the animation which

.
pervaded his soul in musing on the virtues the

, ,
sentiments and the great actions o f these

, ,
dignified men suddenly expiring when he has

, ,
attempted to prolong o r transfer it to the vir

tues sentiments and actions o f the apostles o f
, , ,
Jesus C hrist S ometimes he has with mixed

.
,
wonder and indignation remonstrated with his,
o w n feelings and has said I know there is the

, ,
highest excellence in the religion o f the M e s

siah and in the characters o f his most magna
,
n i m o u s followers ; and surely it is ex c ellen c e

also that attracts me to those other illustrious
men ; w hy then cannot I take a full delightful
interest in them both ? But it i s in vain ; he
finds this amphibious devotion impossible And .
he will always find it so ; fo r antecedently to ,
exp erience it would be obvious that the order

,
o f sentiments which animated the o n e form of
excellence is extremely diverse from that which

,
is the vitality of the other If the whole sys .
’
t e m of a C hristian s sentiments is required to be
exactly adjusted to the economy of redemption ,
they must be widely different from those o f

the men howe v er wise or virtuo u s who never
, ,
thought or heard o f the S aviour of the world ;

else where is the peculiarity or importance o f
this new dispensation which does however bo t h
,
avow and manifest a most signal peculiarity ,
and with which heaven has connected the s i gns

and decla rations of infinite importan ce ? If ,
B B
3 70 ON TH E AV ERS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
’
again a christian s grand obj ect and solicit ude
,
is to please G od this must constitute his moral

,
excellence ( even though the fa c ts the mere

, ,
actions were the same ) of a very different na

, ,
ture from that of the men w ho had not in firm

faith any god that they cared to please and ,
w hose highest glory it might possibly become ,
that they boldly di ffered fro m their deities ;

as L ucan undoubtedly intended it as the most
emphatical applause of C ato that he was the ,
inflexible patron and hero of the cause which

was the aversion o f the go dsfi If humility is
l e
’
required as a characteristic o f a C hristian s
m ind he is here again placed in a state o f c o n
,
t ra r i et y to that self idolatry the love o f glory

-
,
which accompanied and was applauded as a ,
virtue while it accompanied almost all the ,
moral greatness of the heathens If a christian .
lives for eternity and advances towards death

,
with the certain expectation o f judgment and ,
o f a new and awful worl d ho w di f ferent must ,
be the essential quality of his serious sentiments ,
as partly created and wholly pervaded by this

, ,
mighty anticipation from the order o f feeling

,
o f the virtuous heathens who had no positive ,
o r sublime expectations beyond death The .
interior essences if I may so speak o f the t w o

, ,
kinds o f excellence sustained o r produced by

,
these t w o syst e ms o f principles are so di fferent , ,
"9
Vic t rix c aus a Du s pla c u i t , se d v i c t a C a t on i .
T o EV A NG E LICAL R E L I G ION . 371
that they will hardly be more convertible or

compatible in the same mind than even excel
lence and turpitude No w it appears to me
— .
that the enthusiasm with which a mind o f deep

,
and tho u ghtfu l sensibility dwells o n the history

of sages virtuous legislators and the worthiest
, ,
class of heroes o f heathen antiquity will be ,
found to beguile that mind into an order of

sentiments congenial with theirs and therefore ,
thu s seriously different from the spirit and prin

ci l e s of christianity *
It is not exactly that
p .
the j udg ment admits distinct pagan propositions ,
but the heart insensibly acquires an unison with

many of the sentiments which i mp ly those pro
p ositions and, are wrong unless those proposi
tions be right It forgets that a di fferent state
.
o f feeling corresponding to a gre a tly di fferent

, _
scheme of principles is appointed by the S ove

,
r eign Judge o f all thi n gs as ( with relation to
a s) an indispensable preparation fo r entering
Shoul d i t b e pr et en de d tha t in a dmi ing p a ga n exc el

,
r
le nc e t he m i n d t ak e s the m er e fa c t s o f tha t e xcellence

, ,
s ep a ra t ely from the principl e s a n d a s far a s they ar e i den t ica l

,
wi th the fa ct s o f chris t i a n e xc ell enc e a n d then conn e c ting , ,
c hris t i a n principl e s wi th t he m conv ert s t he whol e i de a lly in t o

,
a chris t ia n cha ra c t e r b e for e i t cor di a lly a dmir e s I a pp e a l t o ,
e xp er i enc e t ha t t his is n o t t ru e I f i t w e e t he min d wo l d

. r ,
u
b e a bl e t o t urn wi t h full compl a c ency fro m a n a ffe t ion a t e c
a dmir a t ion o f a n illus t rious h e a th en t o a dmir e in the s a m e

, ,
t ra in o f feeling an d w i th s t ill w a m er e mo t ion t he e xc e ll ence

r ,
o f S t P a ul ; which is n o t th e fa c t
. .
B B 2
3 72 ON T HE AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
’
the eternal pa ra di se fi and that now no moral
e
,
disti n c tions however splendid are excellence

, ,
in his sight if not conformed to his declared

,
standard It slides into a persuasion that

.
,
under a n y economy to be like o n e Of those

,
heathe n examples should be a competent fitness

fo r any world to which good spirits are to be
assigned The devoted admirer contemplates
them as the most enviable specimens o f his
nature and almost wishes he could have been
,
one O f them without reflecting that this would

probably have been under the condition among ,
many other circumstances O f adoring Jupiter , ,
Bacchus or ZE sc u la pi u s and yet despising the

, ,
deities that he adored ; and under the condition

O f being a stranger to the S on o f G od and to ,
all that he has disclosed and accomplished for

the felicity Of o u r race It would even throw .
an ungracious chil l on his ardour if an evan ,
eli l monitor should whisper R emember

g c a
”
,
Jes u s C hrist and express his regret that these

,
illustrious men could n o t have been privileged
word “
to be elevated into christians If precisely the
”
elevated were used the ad monished
.
person might have a feeling at the instant as , ,
if it were not the r ig ht word But this state o f .
mind is no less in e ffect than hostility to the

I h op e non e o f the s e Obs erv a t ions will b e un ders t oo d t o
insinua t e the impossibili t y o f t he fu t ure happin ess O f vi r t uous
h e a th ens Bu t a que s tion o n th a t subj e c t wo uld h ere b e o u t
.
O f pl a c e
.
gospel which these feelings are practically pr o

,
n o u n c in to be at least unnecessary and there

g ;
fore that noblest part o f ancient literature which
tends t o p roduce it is inexpressibly inj urious
, .
It had been happy for many cultivated and

aspiring minds if the men whose characters
,
are the moral magnificence Of the classical

history had been such atrocious villains that
, ,
their n ames could not have been recollected

without execration N othing can be more dis
.
astrous than to be led astray by eminent virtue

and intelligence which can give a sen se o f con
,
geniality with gra n deur in the deviation .
It will require a very affecting impression O f

the christian truth a decided conception Of the
,
christian character and a habit of thinki n g wi t h

,
sympathetic admiration of the most elevated

class o f christians to preserve the genuine evan
,
eli a l spirit amidst this ideal society with

g c
personages w ho might pardonably have been

esteemed O f the noblest form o f human nature )
if a revelation had not been received fro m

heaven S ome views o f this excellence it were
.
in vain for a chri stian to forbid himself to

admire ; but he must learn to admire under a
discriminative restriction else the emotion i n
,
volves a desertion Of his cause He must learn

.
to assign t hese men in tho u ght to another

sphere and to regard them as beings u nder a
,
different economy with which o u r relations are

dissolved ; as wonderful examples o f a certai n
imperfect kind o f moral greatness formed o n a ,
model foreign to true religion and which is ,
crumbled to dust and given to the wind s — At

the same time he may well while beholding
, ,
some of these men deplore that if SO much

,
excellence could be formed on such a m odel ,
the sacred system which gives the acknowledged

exemplar for hi s own character should not have
far m ore assimilated him to heaven SO much — .
fo r the e ffect o f the most i nteresting part o f

ancient literature .
In the next letter I shall make some observa

tion s o n modern poli te literature in application,
of the same rule Of judgment M any Of them .
m ust unavoidably be very analogous to those

already made ; since the greatest number of the
modern fine w riters acquired much Of the cha
r a c t e r o f their minds from those o f the ancient
world . P robably indeed the ancients have

exerted a much m ore extensive influence in
modern times by means O f the modern writers
to whom they have communicated their moral
spirit than immediately by their own works
, .
TO EV A N G E LI C AL R EL I G ION . 3 75
L E TT E R V II .
T o a ma n who had long Obser v ed the i n flu

en c e s which tyrannize over human passions
and opinions it would not perhaps have a p
,
e a r e d s t range that when the G rand R enovator

p ,
came o n earth and during the succeeding ages

, ,
a number Of the men whose superior talents

were to carry o n the course Of literature and ,
promo te and guide the progress o f the human

mind should rej ect his religion These I have
, .
placed out Of the ques t ion a s it is not my Obj ect

,
to S how the injuries done to christianity by its

avowed enemies But it might have been ex
.
e c t ed that all the intelligent men from that

p , ,
hour to the end Of time who should really ,
admit the truth Of this religion would perceive ,
the so v ereignty and universality o f its claims ,
feel that every thing unconsonant with it ought

instantly to vanish from the whole system O f
approved sentiments and the whole school o f
literature an d t o keep as clearly aloof as the
,
I sraelites from the boundary that guarded the

s anctity o f M ount S in a i It might have been
.
pr esumed that all principles which the new dis

,
en sa ti on rendered Obsolete or declared or i m

p ,
pli ed to be wrong should no more be regarded

,
as bel onging to the system of principles to be

henceforward received and taught than dead ,
bodies in their graves belong to the race Of

living men T O retain o r recall them would
.
therefore be as O ffensive to the judgment as to ,
take up these bodies and place them i n the

paths Of men would be O ffensive to the senses ;
,
a n d as absurd as the practice o f the ancient
E gyptians w ho made their embalmed ancestors

,
their companions at their festivals It might .
have been supposed that whatever christianity

,
had actually substituted abolished o r supplied

, , ,
would therefore be p r a c ti ca lly regarded by these

believers O f it as substituted abolished o r sup , ,
plied ; and that they would in all their writings , ,
be at least as careful o f their fidelity in this

great article as an adherent to the N ewtonian
,
philosophy would be certain to exclude from ,
his scientific discourse all notions that seriously

,
implied the P t o lema i c o r the Tychonic system

i
to be true .N ecessarily a number o f these,
literary believers would write on subj ects SO

completely foreign to w hat comes within the
cognizance of christianity that a pure neutrality
, ,
which should avoid all interference with it ,
would be all that could be claimed from the m

in its behalf ; though at the same time o n e
, ,
should feel some degree Of regret to se e a man ,
o f enlarged mind exhausting his ability and his
life on these foreign subj ects without devoting ,
some short interval to the service Of that

which he believes to be of far surp assing

*
moment .
But the great number w ho chose to write o n

subjects that come within the relations o f the
christian system as o n the various views o f
,
morals the distinctions and judgments of human

,
character and the theory O f happiness with

, ,
almost unavoidable references sometimes to o u r

connexion with D ei t y to death and to a future , ,
state ought to have written every page under

,
the recollection that these subj ects are not left

,
free for careless or arbitrary sentiment since
I coul d n o t h elp fee ling a degre e O f t his r egr et in re a d

ing l a t ely the m e moirs O f t he a dmir abl e a n d e s tim a bl e Si r
Willi a m Jon e s S om e O f hi s res ea rche s i A si a ha ve i nci

. n
den t a lly s er ve d the c a us e o f r eligion ; b u t di d he think t h a t

no thi ng m ore r em a in e d p ossibl e t o b e don e in s e rvic e t o
chris ti a ni ty t ha t his a ccomplished mi n d w“a s l eft a t l eisure
,
for hymns t o t he Hin doo go ds ? W a s n o t t his e v en a vio

l a tion of the n eut ra li t y a n d an Offenc e n o t only a gain s t the
, ,
gosp el b u t a ga ins t t h eism i t s elf ? I know wh a t m a y b e s a i d

,
a bou t p e rso n i fic a t ion lic ens e o f po et y a n d so on ; b u t

, r ,
should n o t a worshi pp er O f G o d hol d hi ms elf under a sol e mn

obliga t ion t o a bju e all t ol er a nc e O f e ven po etic a l figur e s t ha t
r
c an s eriously s ee m in a n y w a y wh a t e v er t o r e cognis e the

, ,
p ag a n di vini t i e s or a bomin a tions a s t he pr ophe t s O f Jeho

—
,
v ah wo u l d ha v e c a ll e d t he m ? Wha t would Elij ah ha v e

s aid t o s u ch a n e mploym e nt O f t a l en t s in his t im e I t would
h a ve a va il d lit tl e t o h a ve t ol d him t ha t t h e s e divini ti es w r
e e e
only p e so n ific a ti on s (wi th their a ppropria t e repre s e n ta t ive

r
idols ) O f O bj e ct s in n a t ure of el e m ent s or of a bs tra c tion

, ,
s.
He would ha ve s t ernly r epli ed A nd w a s n o t B aa l whos e

, ,
prophe t s I de s troye d t he s a m e ,
“
the time that G o d has spoken t o u s by his
So n and that the fine st composition would
be only so much eloquent impiety if essentially ,
discordant with the dictates Of the N ew Tes

tament Had this been a habitual and i n flu en
.
tial recollection with the admired writers O f

t h e christian worl d an ingenuous mind might
,
have been conversant alternately with their

works and t hose o f evangelists and apostles ,
w i thout being confounded in the conflict of

antipathy between the inspirations o f genius
and the inspirations o f heaven .
I confine my view chiefly t o the elegant

literature of o u r o w n country And there is .
a presumption in its favour independently Of

,
actual comp a rison that it is much less e x c e p

,
ti o n a ble than the belles lettres o f the other

countries O f modern E urope ; for this plain
reason that the extended prevalence Of the
,
happy light o f the R eformation through almost

the whole period o f the production o f our works
o f genius and taste must necessarily by pre
, ,
senting the religion of C hrist in an aspect more

true t o its genuine dignity have compelled ,
from the intellectual men who did not deny

its truth and could n o t be entirely ignorant
,
o f its m ost essential properties a kind and ,
degree o f respect which would not be felt by

the same order o f men in popish countries ,
whose belief in christianity w a s no more than

a deference t o the authority Of the church ,
TO EVAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 3 79
and Whose occasional allusions o r testimonies

to it would recognise it in no higher character
than that in which it appears as degraded into
a superstition ; so that there would be only a
fallacious o r equivocal glimmer o f christianity
thrown occasionally on their pages Of moral
sentiment .
In this assumption in favour of o u r polite

literature against that Of the popish countries
, ,
I set out Of view on both S ides that portion

, ,
which is Of directly immoral or infidel tendency ;

since it i s not at all my Obj ect to comment on
the antichristian e ffect o f the palpably vicious
part of o u r literature but to indicate a certain
,
m oral and religious insalubrity in much Of that

which in ge neral account is for the most part
, ,
tolerably accordant and in many instances

,
actively subserv ient to truth and virtue

,
.
G oing over from t he vicio u s and irreligious

to the directly opposite quarter neither do ,
I include in the literature on which I am

animadverting any class o f authors formally
theological not even the most admired sermon
,
writers in o u r language ; because it is probable

that works specifically theological have not been
admitted to constitute more than a small part
of that school o f thinking and taste in which ,
the generality Of cultivated men have acquired

the moral habitude O f their mi nds That school .
is composed O f poets moral philosophers histo

, ,
rians essayists and you may add the writers Of

, ,
fictio n . If the great maj ority Of these authors

have injured and still inj ure their pupils in
, ,
the most important Of all their interests it is ,
a very serious consideration both in respect to ,
the accountableness o f the authors and the ,
final e ffect o n their pupils I maintain that .
they are guilty Of this inj ury .
O n so wide a field my dear friend it would

, ,
be in vain t o attempt maki n g particular r e

fe r e n c e s and selections to verify all these
remarks I must appeal fo r their truth to
.
your own acquaintance with our popular fine

writers .
In the first place and as a general O b ser

,
vation the alleged injury has been done to a

, ,
great extent by O mission or rathe r it should

, ,
be called E xclusion I do n o t refer so much

.
to that unworthy care maintained through ,
the works o f o u r ingenious authors to avoid

r ma l treating o n any topics O f an expressly
f o ly
evangelical kind as to the absence Of that
,
christian tinge and modification (rendered ,
perceptible partly by a plain recognition occa

si o n a lly o f some great christian truth a n d partly ,
by a solicitous though it were a tacit con

, ,
formity to every principle o f the christian

theory ) which S hould pervade universally the
,
sentiments regarding man as a moral being .
C onsider ho w small a portion o f the serious

subj ects o f thought can be detached from all
connexion with the religion o f C hrist without ,
T o EV A NG E LICAL R E L I G ION . 3 81
narrowing the scope to which he meant it to

extend and repelli ng its interven tion where
,
he required it S hould intervene The book .
which unfolds it has exaggerated its compre

,
hen si v e n e ss and the first distinguished christians

,
had a del u sive View of it if it does not act u ally

,
claim to mingle its principles with the whole

syste m of moral ideas so as t o give them a
,
S pecial modification ; as the principle O f fire ,
interfused through the various forms and com

b i n a t i o n s of the elements contributes essentially
,
to constitute that condition by which they are

adapted to their important uses which con ,
dition and adaptation therefore they would lose

if that principle were no longer inherent .
And this claim for the extensive interference

of the christian principles made as a require,
ment from authority appears to be j u st in

,
virtue O f their o wn nature F or they are not .
O f a nature which necessarily restricts the m

to a peculiar department like the principles ,
appropriate to some of the sciences We should .
at once perceive the absurdity Of a man who

should be pretending to adjust all his ideas
on general subj ects according to the rules Of
geometry and S hould maintain (if any man
,
could do SO preposterous a thing) that geo

metrical laws ought to be taken as the basis
O f our reasoning on politics and morals Or .
,
if this be too extreme a supposition let any ,
other class O f principles foreign to moral ,

subj ects be selected in order t o S how ho w

, ,
absurd is the e ffect o f an attempt to stretch

them beyond their proper sphere and force ,
the m into some connexion with ideas with

which they have no natural relation L et i t be .
shown ho w such principles can in no degree

modify the subj ect to which they are attempted
to be applied nor mingle with the reasons
,
co n cerning it but refuse to touch it like mag

, ,
n e ti sm applied to brass I would then sho w

.
,
on the contrary that the christian principles

,
are of a quality which puts them in relation

with something in the nature Of almost all
serious subj ects Their introduction into th o se
.
subj ects therefore is not an arbitrary and forced

application Of them ; it is merely permitting
their cognizance and interfusion in whatever has
so me quality of a common nature with them .
It must be evident in a moment that the mos t

general doctrines o f christianity such as those ,
of a future judgment and immortality have

, ,
a direct relation with every thing that can be

comprehended within the widest range o f moral
sp ecul ation and sentiment It will also be
.
found that the more particular doctrines such ,
as those o f the moral pravity of ou r nature ,
an atonement made by the sacrifice o f C hrist ,
the interference o f a special divine influence

in renewing the human mind and conducting ,
it through the discipline fo r a future state ,
together with all the inferences conditions , ,

TO E VA NGEL I CAL R E L I G ION . 3 83
and motives resulting from them cannot be

, ,
admitted and religiously regarded without c o m ,
’
bining i n numberless instances with a man s
ideas o n moral subj ects That writer must .
therefore have retired beyond the limits o f

an immense field o f important a n d most i n
t e r e st i n g speculations indeed beyond the limits
,
of all the speculation most important to man ,
who can sa y that nothing in the religion o f

C hrist bears in any manner o n any part of
, ,
his subj ect any more than if he were a phi

,
los o pher of S aturn .
In thus habitually interfering a n d combining

wi th moral sentiments and speculations th e ,
christian principles w ill greatly modify them .
The ideas infused from those principles to be ,
combined with the moral sentiments will n o t ,
appear as simply a ddi t i on a l ideas in the train

of thought but as also affecting the character
,
o f the rest . A writer whose mind is so pos

sessed with the christian pr 1 n c 1ple s that they
continually suggest themselves in connexion
with his serious speculations will unavoidably ,
present a moral subj ect in a somewhat different

aspect even when he mak e s no express r e
,
‘
fe r en c e s to the gospel from th a t in which it

,
would be presented by another writer whose ,
habits O f thought were clear of evangelical r e

collections N ow in every trai n O f thinkin g in
.
which the recognition o f those principles would

e ffect thi s modificatio n it ought to be e ffected ;
,
SO that the very last idea within the compass

o f speculation which would have a di fferent
cast as a ray o f the gospel falls o r does not ,
fall upon it should be faithfully presented in

, ,
that light The christian principles cannot be

.
true without determining what shall be true

,
in the mode Of representing every subject in

which there is any thing belonging t o them
by essential relation O bviously as far as the.
,
gospel c a n go and does by such relation with

,
things claim to go with a modifying action , ,
it cannot be a matter o f indi fference whether

it do go or not ; for nothing o n which its a ppli
cation would have this e ffect would be equally ,
right as so modified and as n o t so modified .
That which is made precisely correct by this

qualified condition must therefore separately
, ,
from it be incorrect He who has sent a r e

, .
velation to declare the theory of sacred truth ,
and to order the relations O f all moral senti

ment with that truth cannot give his sanction ,
at once to this final constitution and to that ,
which refuses to be conformed to it He there .
fore disowns that which disowns the religion of

C hrist And what he disowns he condemns ;
.
thus placing all moral sentiments in the same

predicament with regard to the christian eco
,
n om in which Jesus C hrist placed his c on

y ,
temporari es He that is n ot w ith me is against

”
,
me — The order Of ideas dissentient from

.
t he christian system presumes the existence , ,

To EVAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 3 85
or attempts the creation Of so me other ,
economy .
N ow in casting a recollective glance over

,
our elegant literature as far as I am a c ,
u a i n t e d with it I cannot help thinking that

q ,
much the greater part falls under this c o n

de mn a ti o n After a comparatively small num
.
ber of names and books are excepted what are ,
called the British C lassics with the addition ,
o f very m any works o f great literary merit that
have not quite attained that rank present an ,
immense vacancy Of christianized sentiment .
The authors do not give signs Of having ever

deeply studied christianity or o f hav ing been ,
aware that any such thing i s a duty What .
’
.
ever ha s strongly occupied a man s attention ,
affected his feelings and filled his mind with ,
ideas w ill even unintentionally S how itself in

,
the train and cast of his discourse ; these writers

do n o t in this manner betray that their faculties
hav e been occupied and interested by the special
views unfolded in the evan gelic dispensation .
O f their coming from the contemplation o f these

views you discover no notices analogous for ,
instance to those which appear in the writing

,
o r discourse o f a man who has been passing

,
s ome time amidst the wonders o f R ome o r

E gypt a n d who shows you by almost u n c on
, ,
S CI O u S allusions and images occurring in his

lang u age e v en o n other subjects ho w pr o ,
fo u n dly he has been i nterested in beholding

c c
3 86 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF ME N OF TA S T E
triumphal arches temples pyramids and ceme

, , ,
t eri e s .Their minds are n o t naturalized if I ,
m a y S O speak to the images and scenery o f the

,
kingdom of C hrist o r to that kind Of light

,
which the gospel throws on all obj ects They .
are somewhat like the inhabitants o f those

towns within the vast salt mines O f P olan d ,
w ho , seeing every Obj ect in their region b y ,
the light Of lamps and candles only have in ,
their conversation hardly any expressions de

scribing things i n such aspects as never appear
but under the lights Of heaven You might .
Observe the next time that you open one Of

,
these works how far you may read without

, ,
meeting with an idea Of such a nature or so ,
expressed as could not have been unless Jesus

,
C hrist had come into the world ; though the

*
subj ect in hand may be one O f those which he

came in a special manner to illuminate and to ,
enforce on the mind by new and most cogent

arguments And where SO little of the light
.
and rectifying influence o f these communications

has been admitted into the habits O f thought ,
there will be very few cordially reverential and

animated references to the great Instructor
himself These will perhaps occur n o t Oftener
.
than a traveller in some parts of Africa or ,
xc ep t p erh a ps in r e sp e c t t o hum a ni t y a n d b n evolenc e

E e ,
on which subj e c t his ins t ru c tions ha v e improve d the s ent i

m en t s O f i n fidels th e ms elves in spi t e O f the rej e c tion o f th eir
,
divin e a u thori t y .
Arabia comes to a spot of green vegetation in

,
the desert You might have read a consider

.
able number O f volumes without becoming ,
clearly apprised O f the e x istence o f the di sp en

sation or that such a sublime M inister Of it
,
had ever appeared among men And you m i ght .
have diligen tly read for several years and , ,
through several hundred volumes without dis ,
covering its nature o r importance or that the ,
writers when alluding to it ackn owledged any

, ,
peculiar and essential importance as belonging

to it You would only have conjectured it to
.
be a scheme O f opinions and discipline which had

appeared in its day as many others had a p ,
e a r e d and left us as the others have left us

p , , ,
to follo w our speculations very much in o u r

O wn w a y taking from those schemes i n di ffe
, ,
r e n tl
y,
any notions that w e may approve and ,
facts or fictions that we may admi re .
heard of one C onfucius as a teacher whose ,
instructions are admitted to contain many ex

c el
le n t things and to whose system a liberal
,
mind will occasionally advert well pleased to ,
see C hina G reece and Judea as well as E ng

, , ,
lan d producing their philosophers O f various

, ,
degrees and modes o f illumination fo r the ,
honour of their respective countries and periods ,
and for the concurrent promotion o f human

intelligence All the information which they
.
0 c 2
would have supplied to your understandin g ,
and all the conj ectures to which they might

have excited your curiosity would have left ,
y ou if
, n o t instructed from other sources to ,
meet the real religion itself when at length ,
disclosed to yo u as a thi n g o f which yo u had

,
but slight recognition further than its name ;

,
as a wonderful novelty How little you would

.
have expected from their literary and ethical

,
glimpses to find the case to be that the system

, ,
so insignificantly and carelessly acknowledged
in the course of their fine sentimen ts i s the ,
a ctual and sole economy by the provisions Of
which their happiness can be secured by the ,
laws of which they will be judged which has ,
declared the relations Of man with his C reator ,
and specified the exclusive ground Of accept

ance ; which is therefore of infinite consequence
to yo u and to them and to all their readers
, , ,
as fixing the entire th eory of the condition and

destinies of man o n the final principles to which ,
“
all theories and sentiments are solemnly r e
quired to be brought into Obedience ” .
N ow if the fine spirits who have thus pre

, ,
served a n ample rich diversified crowded

, , ,
province Of o u r literature clear o f evangelical ,
intrusion are really the chief instructors Of

,
persons Of taste and form from early life their

, , ,
habits o f feeli n g and tho u ght the natural resul t ,
must be a state o f mind very uncongenial with

the gospel V iews habitually presented t o the
.
mind in its most susceptible periods and during ,
the prolo n ged course o f its improvements in ,
the varied forms and lights o f sublimity and

beauty with every fascination of the taste i n
, ,
g en u i t
y and
, eloquence which it has admired
,
still more each year as its faculties have ex

n de d will have become the settled orde r O f
p a ,
its ideas And it will feel the same complacency

.
in this intellectual order that we feel as i n , ,
habitants of the material world i n the great ,
arrangement of n ature in the green blooming ,
earth and the S plendid hemisphere of heaven

,
.
L E T T E R V III .
IT will be proper to specify some what more ,
distin ctly several o f the particulars i n which

,
I consider the maj ority O f our fine writers a s at

variance with the tenour of the christian r eve
lation and therefore beguiling their readers
,
into a complacency in an order of sentime nts

that sometimes virtually and sometimes directly , ,
disowns it .
O ne thing extremely Obvious to remark is ,
that the g ood ma n the man o f virtue who is

, ,
necessarily coming Often in View in the volumes

3 90 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
of these writers i s n ot a chr i sti a n His cha

, .
r a c t er could have been formed though the

christian revelation had never been opened on (
the earth or though the N ew Testament had

,
perished ages S ince ; and it might have been a

'
fine spectacle but Of no striking peculiarity It

, .
ha s no such complexion and aspect as would

have appeared foreign and unaccountable in the
a bsence O f the christian truth and have excited ,
wonder what it should bear relation to and on ,
what model or in what school such a confor

, ,
m ation of principles and feelings could have

taken its consistence L et it only be said that
.
,
this m a n of virtue had been conversant whole

y ears with such oracles and examples as
S ocrates P lato C icero Antoninus and S eneca
, , , , ,
selecting what in any o f them appeared the

w isest or best and all would be explained ;
,
t here would be nothing to suggest the question ,
But if so with whom has he conversed si n c e

, ,
l
to lose so strangely the proper c ha r a c t e r of his

school under the broad impression o f some
,
o t her mightier influence ?

The good man of our polite literature n ever
talks with affectionate devotion O f C hrist as ,
the great High P riest o f his profession as the ,
exalted friend and lord whose injunctions are ,
the laws o f his virtues whose work and sacrifice

,
are the basis of his hopes whose doctrines guide ,
and awe hi s reasonings and whose example is ,
the pattern which he is earnestly aspiring to

TO E VAN G EL I C A L R E L I G ION . 391
resemble . The last intellectual and moral de

si g n a t i o n s i n the world by which it would occur
to you to describe him would be those by which,
the a postles so much exulted to be recognized ,
a disciple and a ser v ant of Jesus C hrist ; nor

, ,
could you imagine him as at all gratified by

being so described You do n o t hear him ex
.
press that he accounts the habitual remem

,
brance O f C hrist essential to the nature of that

excellence which he is cultivating He rather .
seems with the utmost coolness of choice

, ,
adopting virtue as ac cording with the dignity

o f a ratio n al agent than to be in the least
,
degree impelled to the high attainment by any

relations with the S aviour of the world .
If you suppose a person o f such character to

have fallen into the company of S t P aul you .
,
can easily i ma gIn e the total want O f c o n gen i

ality Though both avowedly devoted to truth
.
,
to virtue and perhaps to religion the di fference

, ,
in the cast of their sentiments would have been

as great as that between the physical consti
t u ti o n and habitudes of a n ative of the country
at the equator and those of o n e from the
,
arctic regions Would n o t that determination

.
’
o f the apostle s m i nd by which there was a con
,
t i n u a lintervention of ideas concerning one great

object in all subj ects places and times have
, , , ,
appeared to this man of v irtue and wisdom i n

conceivably mystical ? In what manner would
he have listened to the emphatical expressio n s
respecting the love o f C hrist constraining us ,
living not to ourselves b ut to him that died for

,
u s and rose again counting all things but loss

,
fo r the knowledge Of C hrist being ardent to ,
w i n C hrist and be found in him and trusting ,
that C hrist should be magnified in o u r body ,
whether by life o r by death ? P erhaps S t .
’
P aul s energy of temperament evidently com ,
b i n e d with a Vigorous intellect might have ,
awed hi m into S ilence But amidst that silence

.
,
he mu st have deci ded in order to defend his

,
sel f complacency that the apostle s mind had

[
’
-
,
fallen not withstanding its strength under the

, ,
dominion o f an irrational association ; for he

would have been conscious that no such ideas
had ever kindled his a ffections and that n O su c h
,
'
a ffections had ever animated his actions ; and

yet he w a s indubitably a good man according ,
to a generally approved standard and could , ,
i n another style be as eloquent for goodness

,
a s S t P aul himself
. He would therefore have
.
assured himself either that it was not necessary

,
t o be a christian o r that this order o f feelings

,
w a s n o t necessary to that character But if the .
’
apostle s sagacity had detected the cause of this
’
reserve and the nature o f his associate s r e
,
fle c t i o n s he would most certainly have declared

,
to him with emphasis that both these things

were necessary o r that he had been deceived
—
by inspiration ; and he would have parted from

this self complacent man with admonition and
-
compassion Would St P a u lhave been wrong

. .
?
But if he would have been right what becomes ,
o f those authors whose works whet her fro m

, ,
neglect o r design tend to satisfy their readers o f

,
the pe rfection of a for m o f character which he

would have pronounce d essentially unsound ?
Again moral writings are instructions o n the
,
subj ect of happiness N ow the doctrine o f this

.
subj ect is declared in the evangelical testimony

it had been strange indeed if it had not when ,
the happiness of man w a s expressly the obj ect

Of the commun ication And what according to
.
,
this communication are the essential requisites

,
to that condition of the mind without which no

man ought to be called happy ; without which
ignorance or insensibility alone can be content ,
and folly alone can be cheerful ? A simple

reader of the christian scriptures will reply that
t hey are —
a change Of heart called conversion
, ,
the assurance of the pardon of si n through Jesus

C hrist a habit of devotion approaching so near
,
to i n tercourse with the S upreme O bj ect o f de

v o t i on that revelation has called it communion
with G od a process named sa n c ti fic a t i o n o f
, , ,
improvement in all internal and external virtue ,
a confidence in the divine P rovidence that all

things shall work together for good and a con ,
scious preparation for another life including a ,
firm hope of eternal felicity And what else can .
he reply ? D id the lamp o f heaven ever shin e

more clearly since omnipotence lighted it than ,
3 94 O N T HE AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
these ideas display themselves through the

chris tian revelation ? I s this then absolutely
and exclusively the true account o f happi
ness ? It is n o t that which o u r accomplished
writers in g eneral have chosen to sanction .
Your recollection will tell you that they

have most certainly presumed to avow o r to ,
insinuate a doctrine of happiness which implies

,
much of the christian doctrine to be a needless

intruder o n o u r speculations or an imposition
,
o n our belief ; and I wonder that this grave fact
should so little have alarmed the christian st u

dents o f elegant literature The wide difference
.
between the dictates of the two authorities is

too evident to be overlooked ; for the writers
in question have very rarel y amidst an i m ,
mense asse mblage o f sentiments concerning

happiness made a n y reference to what the
,
inspired teachers so explicitly declare to be its

constituent and vital principles How many .
times you might read the su n or the moon to

its repose before you would find an assertion
,
o r a recognition for instance o f a change o f

, ,
the mind being requisite to happiness in any ,
terms commensurate with the significance which

this article se ems to bear in all the varied
,
propositions and notices respecting it in the

N ew Testament S ome o f these writers appear
.
hardly to have admitted o r to have recollected

even the maxim that happiness must essen
,
ly consis t in something so fixed in the mind

t i al
i tself, as to be substantially independent Of

worldly condition ; for their most animated
representations of it are merely descriptions
o f fortunate combinations o f external circu m
stances and of the feelings so immediately de

,
pending on them that they will expire the

,
moment that these combinations are broken up .
The greater number however have fully a d , ,
mi t t ed so plain a truth and have given their ,
illustrations O f the doctrine o f happiness a o

c o r di n gl y And
. what appears in these illustra
tions as the brightest image of happiness ? It
is probably that of a man feeling an elevated
, ,
complacency i n his own excellence a proud ,
consciousness of rectitude ; privileged w ith free

dom of thought and extended views cleared from
, ,
the mists of prejudice and superstition display

ing the generosity of his nature in the exercise
O f b e n e fic e n c e without feeling however any
, , ,
grateful incit ement from remembrance o f the

transcen dent generosity o f the S on of M an ;
mai ntaining in respect to the events and bustle
,
of the surrounding scene a dignified i n difference

, ,
which can let the world go its own way undis ,
t u r b e d by its di sordered course ; temperately

enj oying whatever good grows o n his portion of
th e field o f life and living in a cool resignation
,
to fate w ithout any strong e x pressions o f a

,
sp ecific hope o r even solicitude with regard to

, ,
t he termination of life and to all futurity No w . ,
notwithstanding a partial coincidence o f this

description with the christian theory of happi

*
ness it is evident that o n the whole the two
,
modes are so di fferent that no man can realize

them both The consequence is clear ; the
.
n atural e ffect Of incompetent and fallacious

schemes prepossessing the mind by every grace
,
and force o f genius will be an aversion to the,
christian scheme ; which will be seen to place

happiness in elements and relations much less
flattering to what will be called a noble pride ;
to make it consist in something o f which it were
a vain presumption for the man t o fancy that
hi msel f can be the sovereign creator .
It is again a p rominent characteristic of the

, ,
christian revelation that havi n g declared this

,
life to be but the introduction to an other it ,
systematically preserves the recollection Of this

great truth through every representation o f
every subj ect so that the reader is not allowed
to contemplate any O f the interests of life in ‘
a view which detaches them from the grand

Obj ect and conditions of li fe itself An apostle .
could not address his friends on the most com

m on concerns for the length o f a page with
, ,
out the final references He i s like a person .
"9
No on e c an bsur d a s t o r epr e s en t the no tions
be so a
whi ch p erva d e the works of poli te li t er a tur e a s tot lly a n d a ,
lpoin t s opposi t e t o the princip le s o f chris ti a ni t y

a t al , wha t
I a m a ss er ting is t h a t in som e impor t a n t poin t s t hey a re
,
subs t a n tially an d e ss en ti a lly di fferen t a n d th a t in o th ers th ey

,
disown the chris ti a n modific a t ion .

TO EVAN G E L I C A L R E L I G IO N. 397
whose ey e whil e he is conversing with yo u

,
about an object o r a succession o f obj ects

, ,
immediately near should glance every moment

,
toward s ome great spectacle appeari n g o n the

distant horizon He seems to t alk to his friends
.
in somewhat of that manner o f expression with

w hich you can imagine that E lijah S poke if he ,
remarked to his companion any circumstance

in the j ourney from Bethel to Jericho and from ,
Jericho to the Jordan ; a manner betraying the

sublime anticipation which was pressing on his
tho u ghts The correct consequence o f convers
.
ing with our L ord and his apostles would be ,
that the thought of immortality should become

almost as habitually present and familiarized to
the mind as the countenance o f a domestic
friend ; th at it should be the grand test o f the
v alue of all pursuits fri endships and specula
, ,
tions ; and that it should mingle a certain

nobleness with every thing which it permitted
to occupy ou r time No w how far will
.
,
the discipline O f modern polite literature c o

incide
I should be pleased to hear a student of that
literature seriously profess that he is often and
impressively reminded of futurity ; and to have
it shown that ideas relating to this great sub
ec t are presented in su fficient number
j and in ,
a proper m anner to produce an e ffect which

,
S hould form a respectable proportion o f the

who l e e ffect produced by these authors o n
3 98 ON TH E AV E RS I ON OF MEN or TA S T E
susceptible minds But there is no ground for

.
expecting this satisfaction .
I t is true that the idea o f immortality is so

e xcee di ngly grand that many writers o f genius
,
w ho have felt but little gen u ine interest i n reli

gion have been led by their perception of what
,
is sublime to introduce an allusion which is one

o f the most powerful means o f elevating the
imagination and in point o f energy and splen
,
dour their language has been worthy Of the

,
subj ect .In these instances however it is , ,
seldom found that the idea is presented in that

light whi ch while displayi ng it prominent in its
,
individual grandeur shows also its extensive

,
necessary connexion with other ideas ! it a p

pears somewhat like a maj estic tower which a ,
traveller in some countries may find standing

in a solitary scene n o longer surrounded by
,
the great assemblage of buildings the ample ,
city O f which it w a s raised to be the centre

,
-
the strength and the ornament Immortality

, .
has been had recourse to in o n e page o f an

ingenious work as a single topic of sublimity
.
,
in the same manner as a magnificent phe

n omen on o r a brilliant achievement
, has been ,
’
described in another The author s object might
.
rather seem to have been to supply an occa

si o n a l gratification to taste than to reduce the ,
mind and all its feelings under the dominion o f

a grand practical principle .
It is true also that a graver class of fine

,
To E VA NG EL I C A L R E L I G ION . 3 99
writers who have expressed considerable r e

,
spect for religion and fo r christianity and who , ,
though not writing systematically on morals ,
have inculcated high moral principles have ,
made references to a future state as the hope

and sanction of Virtue But these references .
are made less frequently and with less enforce ,
ment and emphasis than the connexion between

,
our present conduct and a future life must be

acknowledged to claim The manner In which .
they are made seems to betray either a de fic i

ency of interest in the great subj ect or a pusil ,
la n i mo u s anxiety not to O ffend those readers

who woul d think it t o o directly religious It is .
sometimes adverted to as if rather from a com

pelling sense that if there is a future state
, ,
moral speculation must be defective even to ,
a degree O f absurdity without some allusions

,
to it than from feeling a profound delight in

,
the contemplation When the idea of another

.
life is introduced to aggravate the force of moral

r 1n c 1 l es and the authority o f conscience it
p p, ,
is done so as to appear like a somewhat

r el u c t a n t acknowledgment of the deficiency of
inferior sanctions The consideration comes and

.
vanishe s in a transient light after the writer ,
has eloquently expatiated on every circumstan c e

by which the present life can supply motives
to goodness In some instances a watchful
.
,
r eader will also perceive what appears t o o much
like care to divest the idea when it must be ,

400 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN OF T ASTE
introduced o f all direct references t o that sacred

,
P erson who first completely opened the pro

spect O f immortality or to some o f those other
,
doctrines which he taught in immediate c o n

n ex i o n with this great truth There seems.
reason to suspect the writer o f being pleased

that t hough it is indeed to the gospel alone
,
that we owe the positive assurance of i mmor

tality yet it was a subj ec t so much in the
,
conj ectures and speculation Of the heathen

sages that he may mention it without therefore
,
so expressly recognizing the gospel as he must ,
in the case of introducing some truth o f which

n o t only the evidence but even the first explicit
,
conception was communicated by that di sp en

,
sation .
Taking this defective kind of a c kn o wle dg

ment o f a future state toge t her with that ,
entire Oblivion o f the subj ect which prevails

through an ample portion of elegant literature ,
I think there is no hazard in saying that a ,
reader who is satisfied without any other i n

!
st r u c ti o n s will learn almost every lesson sooner
,
than the necessity Of habitually livi n g for eter

n it M any o f these writers see m to take a s
y.
much care to guard against the inroad o f ideas

fr om that solemn quarter as the inhabitants of,
Holland do against the irruption o f the sea ;

and their writin gs do really for m a kind of
moral dyke against the invasion from the other
world They do n o t instruct a man to act to
.
,
TO EVAN G EL I C A L R E L I G ION . 401
enj oy and to su ffer as a be ing that may by t o

, ,
morrow have finally abandoned this o rb ! every

thin g is done to beguile the feeling o f his
being a stranger and a pilgrim o n the earth ” .
The relation which our nature bears to the cir

c u mst an c e s of the present state and which ,
individuals bear to one another is mainly the ,
ground on which thei r considerations of duty

proceed and conclude And their schemes Of
.
happiness though formed for beings at once

,
immortal and departing include little which ,
avowedly relates to that world to which they

a r e removing nor reach beyond the period at
,
which they will properly but begin to live .
They endeavour to raise the groves o f an

earthly paradise to shade from sight that vista
,
which opens to the distance o f eternity .
Another arti cle in which the anti christian -
tendency of a great par t of ou r productions of

t a ste and genius is apparent is the kind o f , ,
consolation administered to distress old age , ,
an d death .Things o f a mournful kind make

so large a portion o f the lot of humanity that ,
it is impossible for writers who take human

life and feelings for their subj ect to avoid (nor ,
indeed have they endeavoured to avoid ) c o n ,
t e mpla t in g m an in those conditions in which

he needs every benignant aid to save him from
despai r . And here if any where we may
, ,
justly require an absolute coincidence Of all

moral instructions with the religion of C hrist
D D
402 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
since consolation is eminen t ly its distinction

and its design ; since a being in distress has
peculiarly a right n ot to be tr ifled with by the
application of unadapted e x pedients ; and since
insufficient consolations are but to mock it ,
and deceptive ones are to betray It should .
then b e clearly ascertained by the moralist ,
and ne v er forgotten what are the consolatio n s

,
provided by this religion and under what con

,
dition the y are o ffered .
C hristianity O ffers even to the irreligious ,
who relent amidst their su fferings the allevia ,
tion springing from inestimable promises made

to penitence ! any other system which should ,
attempt to console them simply as su ffering

, ,
a n d without any re ference to the moral and

religio u s state of their minds would be mis ,
c hi e v o u s
, if it were not in effic a c i o u s What .
are the principal sources o f consolation t o the

pious is i mm e di a t ely app ar en t The subj ects o f
l
.
,
adversity and sorrow are assured that G od

exercises his paternal wisdom and kindness in
afflicting his children that this necessary disci
pline is to refine and exalt them by making them
partakers o f his holiness that he mercifully
regards their weakness and pai n s and will n o t ,
let them su ffer beyond what they S hall be able

to bear ; that their great L eader has su ffered
for them more than they can su ffer and c o m ,
passionately sympathizes with the m still ; t hat

this short life was far less designed to c On fe r '
To E VAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 403
a present happiness than to mature them to a

,
'
fitne ss for being happy for ever ; and that pa

tient constancy shall receive a resplendent
crown An aged christia n is soothed by the
.
assurance that his Almighty F riend will not

despise the e n feebled exertions nor desert t he ,
oppressed and fainting weakness of the last ,
’
sta ge of his servant s life When advancing .
into the shade of death itself he is animated by ,
the faith that the great sacrifice has taken the .
malignity of d eath away ; and that the divi n e

presence will attend the dark steps of this last
and lonely enterprise and shew the dying tra ,
ve ller and combatant that even this melancholy

gloom is to him the utmost limit O f the domi
nion of evil the very confine o f paradise the
, ,
i mm e di a t e a c c e ss to the region of eternal life

'
N ow in the g reater number of the works

'
under review what are the modes of conso

,
lation which sensibility r eason and eloquence , , ,
have most generally exerted themselves to apply

to the mournful circumstances of life and to ,
its close ? Yo u will readily recollect such as

these ! a man is s u ffering well it is the com
—
,
mon destiny every one su ffers sometime s and

, ,
some much more than he ; it is well it i s no

worse If he is unhapp y n o w he ha s been
. ,
happy and he could n o t ex pect to be so I nva

,
r i a bl
y
. It were folly to compla i n that his na
ture was constituted capable o f su fferin g or ,
placed in a world where it is exposed to the

D D 2
404 ON TH E AV E RS I ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
infliction If it were n o t capable o f pain i t

.
,
would n o t o f pleasure Would he be willing .
to lose his being to escape these ills ? O r ,
would he consent if such a thing were possible

, ,
to be any person else The sympathy o f each -
kind relation and friend will not be wanting .
His condition may probably change for the

better ; there is hope i n every situation ; and
meanwhile it is an Opportuni ty for displaying
,
manly fortitude A strong mind can proudly

.
triumph over the oppression o f pain the vex ,
a t i on s o f disappointment and the t yrr a n n y o f ,
fortune If the cause of distress is some i r r epa

.
rable deprivation it will be softened by the

,
*
lenient hand Of time .
The lingering months of an aged ma n are

soothed almost it is pretended into cheerfulness
, , ,
by the respectful attention o f his neighbours ;

by the worldly prosperity and dutiful regard o f
the family he has b r Oi i ght up ; by the inn ocent
‘
gaiety and amusing activity o f their children ;

and by the consideration o f his fair character
“
5
C an i t b e n e c ss a ry t o no t ic e h e re a g a in tha t e v ery
e ,
sys t e m o f mor a l s en t im en t s mus t in e vi t a bly con t a in som e

principl e s o t discl aim d by chris t ia ni ty ; wi th whos e di c
n e
t a t e s v a rious p a r ticul a rs in this a ss e mbl a g e f consol t ions

o a
a re n o t inconsis t
e n t i f h e l d in a subor d in a t e r a nk B u t t he
e num e r a t ion t a k e n a l t og e t h er a ,d e xclusivn ly eo f t h e g n dra
chris t ia n principl e s form s a sche m e o f consol a tion ss en t i a lly

,
e
i
d ffe e tr n from t h a t so b en e fi c e n t ly displ a y e d in t he r e ligion o f
C hris t .
TO E VAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 405
in society . If he is a man o f thought he ,
has the added advan tage of some philosophical

considerations ; the cares and passions o f his
former life are calmed into a wise tranquillity ;
he thinks he has had a competent share of life
“
it i s as proper and necessary for mankind to
” ”
have their exits as their entrances ; and
,
his business will now be to make a well “

”
graced retreat from the stage like a man that ,
'
has properly acted his part and may retire with,
applause .
As to the means Of sustainin g the spirit in

death the general voice of these authors asserts
,
the chief and only all su ffic i en t o n e to be the

-
recollectio n of a well spent life -

S ome minor .
repellents o f fear are added ; as for instance ,
that death is in fact a far less tremendous thing

than that dire form of i t by which imagination
and superstition are haunted ; that the su ffer
ings in death are less than men often endure in
the course of l ife ; that it is o n ly like o n e o f
those transformations with which the world of
n ature abounds ; and that it is easy to conceive ,
an d reasonable to expect a more commodious,
vehicle and habitation I t would seem almost

.
u navoidable to glance a thought toward what
revelation has signified to us o f the house not “

m ade with hands
” of the better country that
”
, ,
is the heavenly
,
But the greater number o f
.
the writers of taste advert to the scene beyond

this world with apparent reluctan ce unless it ,
406 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
can be do n e on the one hand in the manne r

, ,
o f pure philosophical conj ecture or o n the ,
other under the form of images bearing some

, ,
analogy t o the visions of classical p o e t r yfi"
The arguments for resignat ion to death are

n o t so much drawn from future scenes as from ,
a consideration O f the evils o f the present life ;

the necessity of yielding to a general and irre
v er si b l
e law ; the dignity O f s ubmitting with
that calmness which conscious virtue is entitled
to feel ; and the improbability ( as these writers
sometimes intimate ) that any formidable evils
are t o be apprehended after death except by ,
a few of the very worst o f the human race .
Those arguments are in general rather aimed

t o quiet fear than to animate hope The plead .
e r s o f them seem more concerned to convey the
dying man in peace and silence o u t of the world ,
than to conduct him to the celestial felicity .
L et us but see him embarked on his unknown

voyage in fair weather and we are not account ,
I am v ery fa r from disliking philosophic a l sp e cul a tion ,
or da ring flight s o f fa ncy o n t his high subj e c t

,
O n t he .
con tr ry i t a p p ea rs t o m e s t r a nge tha t a n y on e firmly

a ,
hol ding t he b li f o f a life t o com e shoul d n o t ha v e bo t h

e e ,
t he in t e ll e c tu a l fa cul t y a n d the im a g in a t ion xci t d t th e e o e
u t mos t effor t in the t ri a l how e ve r un a va iling t o giv som e

, ,
e
ou tlin e s of d fini t e form t o t he uns en r a li ti e s Wha t I

e e e .
m e a n t o c ensur e in the mo de of r fe rring t o no the r life is

e a , ,
t he c a r e t o a v oi d a n y dir e c t r e s e mbl a nc e or r e cogni t ion o f
t he id ea s whic h th Ne w T e s ta m e n t ha s giv e n t o gui de in

e ,
s om e sm all ve ry sm all d gree ou r conj e c ture s

, e , .
able for what he may meet or whither he ma y ,
be carried when he is gone out of sight

, They .
seldom present a lively Vie w o f the distant hap

p i n e ss
, especially in any of those images in
which the chris t ian revelation has intimated its
nature In which of these books and by which
.
,
of the real or fictitious characters whose last

hours and tho u ghts they sometimes display will ,
y ou find ,
in terms o r in spirit the apostolic ,
'
sentiments adopted To depart and be with

,
C hrist is far better Willing rather to be

absent from the body and present with the ,
L ord ? T he very existence of that sacred

testimony which has given the only genuine
cons o lations in death and the on ly just con
,
c e t i o n s o f what is be y ond it s eems to be

p ,
scarcely recollected ; while the ingenious mo

r al i st s are searching the exhausted common
places of the stoic philosophy or citing the ,
treacherous maxims o f a religion perverted to

accordance with the corrup t wishes of mankind ,
or even recollectin g the lively sayings of the few

whose wi t has expired only in the same moment
with life to fortify the pensive spirit for its last
,
removal . Is it not because there i s not a G od

in Israel that ye have sent to inquire of Baal
,
zebub the G od of E kron

Another order Of sentiments concerning death ,
of a character too bold to be called consolations ,
has been represented as an imatin g one class o f

408 ON TH E AV ERS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
human beings In remarking o n L ucan I no

.
,
ticed that desire o f death which has appeared in

the expressions of great minds sometimes while ,
merely indulging solemn reflections when no

danger or calamity immediately threatened but ,
often in the conscious approach towards a fatal

catastrophe M any writers o f later times have
.
exerted their whole strength and have even ex

,
celled themselves in representing the high sen

,
t i m en t s in whic h this desire has displayed itself ;

genius has found its very gold mine in this field .
If this grandeur o f sentiment had been o f the

genuine spirit to animate piety while it exalts
the passions some of the poets would have
,
ranked among our greatest benefactors P ower .
ful genius aiding to inspire a christian triumph

,
in the prospect o f death might be revered as a

,
prophet might be almost loved as a benignant

,
’
angel F ew men s emotions can have approach
.
ed nearer to enthusiasm than mine in reading ,
the sentiments made to be uttered by sages and

reflective heroes in this prospect I have fel t .
these passages as the last and mightiest of the

enchantments o f poetry of power to inspire fo r
,
a little while a contempt of all ordinary interests ,
o f the world which we inhabit and of li fe itsel f

,
.
While the enthusiast is elated with such an

emotion nothing may appear so captivating as
,
some noble occasion o f dying ; such an occasion

as that when S ocrates died for virtue ; or that
TO E VA NG E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 409
when Brutus at P hilippi fellwith falling lib er t yfi f
P oetry has delighted to display personages of

this high order in the same fatal predicament ;
,
and the situation of such men has appeared

inexpressibly enviable by means o f those sub ,
lime sentiments by which they illuminated the

gloom O f death The re a der has loved to sur .
-
z
round himself in imagination with that gloom ,
for the sake of irradiating it with that sublimity .
All other greatness has been for a while eclipsed

by the greatness o f thought displayed by these
contemplative and m agnanimous spirits though ,
untaugh t by r eliglon when advancing to meet ,
their fate .
But the christian faith rec a lls the mind from

this enchantment to recollect that the c hristi an ,
S pirit in dyi n g can be the only right and noble

one and to consider whether these examples
,
be not exceedingly di fferent Have not the .
most enlightened and devout christians whether ,
they have languished in their chambers or passed ,
“
t hrough the fire of martyrdom manifested their ,
9
P o t ry will
e sily exc ee d m a ny o f the expre ssions
n ot ea
whi ch m er e his t or y ha s r e corded I should li ttl e a dmire the.
c a p a bili t y o f fe eling or gr e a tly a dmire the chris t i a n t e mp e r

, ,
o f t he m a n who coul d wit hout e mo tion rea d for ins t a nc e , ,
the shor t obs e rva t ions of Bru t us t o hi s fri e n d ( in con t e m ,
p la t i o n e ven o f a se f i
l fl i c t ed dea t h
) on t h
ne e v e o f t h e ba ttle
“
-
,
which e x t i guished a ll hop e o f fr ee do m ; W e sha ll ei the r

n
b e vic t ori ous or p a ss a wa y b eyon d the pow e r of t hos e tha t

,
a r e so . We sh a ll delive r ou r coun try by vic tory or ours elve s ,
by dea th .
41 0 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN or TA S T E
elevation Of mind i n another strain o f elo

?
q u e n c e The examples o f greatness in death ,
which poetry has exhibited generally want ,
all those sentiments r especting the pardon

o f si n, and a M ediator who has accomplished
and confers the deliverance and often the ex
,
p li c i t idea o f meeting the Judge with which

,
a
christian contemplates his approaching end .
Their expressions o f intrepidity and exultation

have no analog y with the language of an i n
comparable saint and hero ,0 death where ,
is thy sting ? O grave where is thy victory

,
?
Thanks be to G o d who giveth us the vi ctory

,
through our L ord Jesus C hrist The kind o f

.
self authorized confidence of taking possession

-
o f some other state o f being as monarchs would

,
talk of a distant part o f their empire which they

were going to enter ; the proud apostrophes to
the immortals to prepare for the great and rival
,
spirit that is coming ; their manner of consign

ing to its fate a good but falling cause whic h ,
will sink when they are gone there not being ,
v irtue enough on earth to support or in heave n ,
to vindicate it ; their welcoming the approach of

death in an exultation of lofty and bitter scorn
o f a hated world a nd a despicable race — are not
the humility nor the benevolence nor the r e
, ,
v er e n t i a l submission to the S upreme G overnor ,
with which it is in the proper character o f a

christian to die If a christian will partly unite
.
with these high spirits in being weary o f a world

of dust and t rifle s in d efying the pains of death

, ,
in pan ting for an unbounded liberty it will be ,
at the same time with a most solemn commit

ment of himself to the divine mercy which they ,
forget or were never instructed to implore

, , .
And as to the vision of the other world you ,
will observe a great di fference between the la n

guage of sublime poetry and that of revelation ,
in respect to the nature o f the sentiments and

triumphs of that world and still more perhaps
,
in respect to the associates with whom the

departing spirit expects soon to mingle The .
dying magnanimity Of poetry anticipates high

converse wit h the souls Of heroes and patriots, ,
and perhaps philosophers ; a christian feels him

self going ( I may accommodate the pa ssage )
, ,
to an innumerable company of angels to the ,
general assembly and church O f the fir st born -

,
to G od the Judge of all to the S pirits of j ust

,
men made perfect and to Jesus the M ediator O f

”
,
the new covenant .
In defence of those w ho hav e thus given a t

tractions to the image of death by means foreign
and Opposite to the evangelical principles it ,
may be said that man y of the personages whom

,
t heir scenes exhibit in the contemplation of
death or in the approach to it were necessarily

, , ,
from the age or country in which they lived or

are feigned to have lived unacquainted with
‘
christianity ; and that therefore it would have

been absurd to represe nt them as animated by
41 2 ON TH E AV ERS I ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
christian sentiments .C ertainly But then I .
ask on what ground men of genius will j ustify

,
themselves for choosi n g with a view to the i m

,
provement of the heart as they will profess

, ,
examples of which they cannot preserve the

,
consistency without making them pernicious ?

,
Where is the conscience o f that man who is ,
anxiously careful that every sentiment expressed

by the historical or fictitious personage in the ,
fatal season should be harmonious with every

,
principle o f the character but feels not the

—
,
smallest concern about the consistency o f se

le e ting o r creating the character itself with his ,
conviction of the absolute authori ty of the reli

gion o f C hrist In glancing forward he knows ,
that his favourite is to die and that he cannot

,
die as a christian ; y et he is to depart in a

S plendour o f moral dignity Would it not .
therefore be a dictate o f conscience to warn his

readers that he expects to display the exit with
,
a commanding sublimity O f which the natural

,
e ffect is to be a complacency or an elation in

, , ,
the idea of such a death as a christian cannot

die ? But how would he feel while giving such
a warning ? M igh t i t n o t be said to him And ,
are you then willing to die otherwise than as a

christian If you are yo u virtually pronounce
,
christianity an imposture and to be consistent

, , ,
should avow the rejection If you are not

.
,
how can you endeavour to seduce your readers

into an enthusiastic admiration o f such a death
as you wish may not be y ours ? How can yo u ‘
endeavour to infect your reader with senti

ments which you could not hear him utter in
his last hours without alarm for the state of
his mind ? Is it n ec essa ry to the pathos and
sublimity of poetry t o introduce characters
,
which cannot be justly represented withou t

falsifying our View o f the most serious of all
subjects ? If this be n ecessary it would be ,
better that poetry with all its charms were ex

p lo de d than that the revelation of G od S hould
,
be frustrated in the great obj ect and demand O f

fix mg its o wn ideas of death clearly and alone , ,
in the minds of beings whose m anner of pre

parin g for it is of infinite consequence But .
there is no s uch dilemma ; S ince many examples

could be found and an unlimited number may
,
with rational probability be imagined of chris ,
tian greatness in death Are not then the pre

.
ference of examples adverse to christianity and ,
’
that temper o f the poet s mind which is in such
full sympathy with them empowering him to ,
personate them with such entireness and anima

tion and to express for them all the appropriate
,
feelin gs a worse kind O f infidelity as it is far

, ,
more injurious than that of the cold dealer i n

,
cavils and quibbles against the gospel ? What

is the christian belief of that poet worth who ,
would not o n reflection feel self reproach for -
the affecting scene which may fo r a while have

,
betrayed some of hi s re aders to regard it a s

a m ore dignified thing to depart in the charac

ter o f S ocrates or C ato than o f S t John or
, .
a christian martyr ? What would have been

thought o f the pupil Of an apostle who after
'
, ,
hearing his master describe the spiri t o f a

’
christian s departure from the world in la n ,
guage which he believed to be o f conclusive .
authority and which asserted or clearly implied

,
that this alone wa s greatness in death should ,
have taken the first occasion to expatiate with

enthusiasm on the closing scene of a philo
S opher o r on the exit o f a stern hero that
, , ,
acknowledging within the visible creation no

Obj ect for either confidence or fear departed ,
with the aspect of a being w ho sho uld be going

to summo n his gods to judgment for the mis
fortunes O f his life ? And how will these care
less men O f genius give their accoun t to the
~
Judge o f the world for having virtually taught

,
many aspiring mi nds that notwithstandin g his

,
first coming was to conquer fo r man the king of

terrors there needs no recollection of him in
, ,
order to look toward death with noble defiance

or sublime desire
S ome o f their dyi ng personages are so con
sc i ou sl uninformed of the realities o f the i n v i
y
sible state that the maj estic sentiments which
,
they disclose o n the verge o f life can only ,
throw a faint glimmering o n unfathomable dark

ness ; but some anticipate the other world as I ,
have already Observed in very defined images

,
.
TO EVA NG E L I C A L R EL I G ION . 415
I recollect one of them after some j ust r efle c ,
tions on the vanity and wretchedness of life ,
thus expressing his complacency In VleW Of t he

great deli v erer
Dea t h j oins us t o the grea t m ajorit y

’
Tis t o b e born t o P l a t os an d t o C ae s a rs ;
’
T is t o b e grea t for e v er .
’ ’
Tis p le a sur e t i s a mbi t ion t h en t o di e
, , .
Another an illustrious female in a tragedy

, ,
which I lately read welcomes deat h with the

,
followi ng sentiments
’
O h ti s
wondrous w ell
Y e go ds o f d e a t h th a t rul e th e S t ygi a n gloom 3
,
Y e who ha v e gr e a tly di e d I co me 2 I com e ,
T he ha n d O f Ro me c an n e v e r t ouch me m or e
Ha il ! p erfe ct fre e dom h ail ,
’
M y free spirit shoul d er e now have j oi n d
T ha t gr ea t a ss e mbly t hos e de vo t e d s ha de s
, ,
’
Who sc om d t o liv e t ill lib er t y w a s los t
’
Bu t er e their coun t r y fell a bhor r d the light
, , .
S hift n o t thy colour a t the sound of d ea th

I t is t o m e p e rfe c t i o n glory t riumph
‘
, , .
Na y fo ridly would I choos e i t t hou gh p er su a de d

, ,
I t w er e a lo g d ar k nigh t wi t hou t a m orning

n
T o bon da ge fa r pr ef r i t sinc e i t i s
e ,
Delivera nc e fro m a world wh ere Rom a ns rul e .
hen let us sprea d

T
A bol d e x a l t e d wi ng an d t he l a s t voic e w e he a r
”
, ,
B e th a t o f wond er a n d a ppl a us e .
And is the s a cre d mom en t th en so n ea r ?

T he mom e n t wh n you sun thos e hea v e ns this
e , , ea rth ,
Ha t e ful t o m e pollut e d b v the Rom a ns

, ,
An d all t he busy sl a vish r a c e o f m en ,
S ha ll sink a t onc e a n d s t rai gh t a no th e r s ta t e

,
Ris e on a sud den round ?

O h t o b e t h er e
You will recollec t to have read many equally

’
improper to e n gage a christian s full sympathy ,
and therefore convicting the poetic genius

,
which prod u ced the m o f treachery to the true

faith in such e fforts to seduce o u r feelings It
, .
is a pernicious circumstance in passages o f this

strain that the special thoughts and images
,
w hich are alien from the spirit of christianity ,
are implicated with those g en er a l senti ments of

anticipation those emotions aspiring to great
,
ness and felicity in indefinite terms which a ,
dying christian may energetically express ; so

that through the animated sympathy with the
general and as it were elementary sentiments
, ,
’
the reader s mind is begu iled into complacency
in the more special ones of an antichristian
spirit .
S ometimes even very bad men are made to

display such dignity in death as at once to ,
impart an attractio n to their false sentiments ,
T his is n o t p erh a ps on e o f t he b e s t sp e ci m ens ! i t is the

l a s t th a t ha s com e u nde r my no t ic e. I a m c e rta in o f h a vin g
r ea d m a ny b u t h a ve n o t r e coll e c tion enough t o know wh ere
,
t o fin d t h e m .
and to mitigate the horror of their crimes I .
recollect the interest with which I read many ,
’
years since in D r Young s Busiris the proud
, .
,
magnanimous S peech at the end of which the

tyrant dies ! these are som e of the lines !
I tha nk t he s e woun ds the s e ra ging p a ins whi ch prom is e

, ,
A n in t ervi e w wi th e quals soon els ewh ere

”
.
G r e a t Jove I co m e l
,
E ven the detestable Z anga in the prospect o f

,
death while assured by his conscience tha t to “

”
,
receive him hell blows all her fires rises to a ,
certain imposing greatness by heroic courage

,
tempered to a kind of moral dignity through the ,
relenting o f revenge and the ingenuous mani

fe st a t i o n of sentiments of j ustice To create an
.
occasion o f thus compelling us to do homage to

the dying magnanimity of wicked men is unfaith ,
fulness to the religion w hich condemns such

*
magnanimity as madness It is no justification

.
to sa y that such instances have been known

, ,
and therefore such representations are only

vividly reflected images of reality ; for if the laws
of criticis m do n o t enj oin in works o f genius
, ,
a careful adaptation of all examples and sen

t i me n t s to the purest moral purpose as a far ,
higher duty than the study o f resemblance to

the actual world the laws of piety most certainly
,
do L et the men who have so much literary

.
conscience about this veri similitude content ,
themselves with the o ffice o f mere historians ,
E E
and then t hey may relate without guilt pro ,
v i de d the relation be simple and unvarnished ,
all the facts and speeches o f depraved greatness

,
within the memory o f the world But when .
they c hoose the higher o ffice of inventing and

combining they are accountable for the con
,
sequences .They create a new person and , ,
in sending him into society they can choose ,
whether his example shall tend to improve or

to pervert the minds that will be compelled to
admire him .
It is an immense transitio n from such instances

’
as those I have been remarking o n to R ousseau s ,
celebrated description Of the death o f hi s E loisa ,
which w ould have been much more properly

n oticed in an earlier page It is long since I read
.
that scene one o f the most striking specimens

,
probably o f original conception and interesting

sentiment that ever appeared ; but though the
representation i s so extended as to include every
t hing w hich the author thought needful to make
it perfect there is no explicit reference to the

,
pe culiarly evangelical causes o f complacency in

death Yet the representation is so admirable
.
,
that the serious reader is tempted to Suspect

even his o w n mind o f fanaticism while he i s ,
expressing t o hi s friends the wish that they and ,
that himself may be animated in the last day o f

, ,
life by a class o f ideas which that eloquent

,
writer would have been ashamed to i n troduce .

TO E V AN G E L I C A L R E LIGI ON .
LE TT ER I! .
DOE S it not appear to you my dear friend , ,
that an a pproving reader o f the generality of

our i n ge m o u s authors will acquire an opin i on
’
of the moral condition of o u r species very di ffer

ent from that which is dictated by the divine
declarations ? The G overnor Of all intelligent
creatures has spoken of this nation 0 1 family ' '
o f the m a s exceedingly remo t e from conformity

fi
'
to that standard of perfe ction which alone can

ever b e his rule of j udgment And this i s pro .
n Ou n c e d not only of v 1 c I o u s individuals w ho ,
are readily given u p to c ondemnation by those

who entertain the most partial or the proude st '
es timate of human n ature but Of the c o n st i t u

'
t i o n a l quality o f that nature itself The moral .
part of t he constituti on o f man is repre sented as

placi n g him immensely below that rank O f dig
n i t y and happ i ness to which by his intellectual,
power s and his privilege of being i mmortal he

, ,
would other wise have seemed adapted to belong .
T h e descri ptions Of the human condition are

such as if the nature had by a dreadful c o n v ul,
si o f i been se a rated O f f at each side from a pure

‘
, p
a n d hap y system of the creation and had fallen
p ,
“
down an I mmeasurable de pth into depravation ,
a n d mlser In thi s state man is represented as

y .
E E 2
42 0 ON TH E AVE RS IO N OF ME N OF TA S TE
loving a n d therefore practically choosing the

, ,
evils Which subj ect hi m to the conde mnation o f

G od ; and it is affirmed that no expedient but ,
that very extraordinary o n e which christianity

has revealed can change this condition and
, ,
avert this condemnation with its formidable

consequences .
E very attempt to explain the wisdom and the

exact ultimate intention o f the S upreme Being ,
in constituti n g a nature subj ect in so fatal a

degree to moral evil will fail ,
But even if
.
a n e wreve lation were given to turn this dark

inquiry into noonday it would make no di ffe
,
ren ce in the actual state Of things An exten .
sion o f knowledge could not reverse the fact ,
that the human nature has displayed through ,
every age the m ost aggravated proofs o f being

,
i n a deplorable and hateful condition whatever ,
were the reason s fo r giving a moral agent a c o n

“
st i t u t i o n which it was foresee n would soon be
found in this condition P erhaps if there were

.
,
a mind expanded to a comprehension so far

beyond all other created intelligen ces that it ,
could survey the general order of a great p o r '
tion o f the u niverse and look into distan t ages

, ,
it might u nderstand in what man ner the melan

c ho l fact could Operate t o the perfection o f the
y
vast system ; an d according t o what princ iples ,
and in reference t o what end s all that ha s taken,
p lace w ithin t he empire o f t he E ternal M onarch

i s right . But i n this conte mplation o f the whole ,
To E VAN G E L I C A L R E L I G ION . 42 1
it would also take account Of the separate c o n

dition of each part ; it would perceive t hat this
human world whatever are its relat ions t o t he
,
universe ha s i t s o w n distinct econo my o f i n

,
t e re st s and stands in its o w n relatio n and

,
accountableness to the righteous G overnor ;

and that regarded in this e x c lu s1 v e Vie w it is
, ,
an awful spectacle No w to this exclusive .

,
sphere of o u r o w n condition and interests reve

lation confines o u r attention ; and pours c o n
tempt thoug h n o t more t han experience pours
, ,
o n all presumption to reason o n those grand

unknown principles according t o which t he
Almighty di sposes the universe ; all o u r esti
mates therefore o f the state and relations of
man must take the subj ec t o n this insulated
ground C onsidering man in this view the
.
,
sacred oracles have represented him a s a more

melancholy Obj ect than N ineveh or Babylo n in
ruins ; and an infini t e aggrega t e o f obvious facts
confirms the doctrine This doctrine then is
absolute authority in o u r speculations o n human
n ature But t o this authority t he wri t ers in
.
question seem to pay and to teach t heir readers,
to pay but lit t le respect And unless those

,
.
readers are pre occupied by t he grave c o n v i c

-
tions of religious truth rendered still more

,
,
grav e by painful reflection o n themselves and ,
by Observation on mankind ; o r unless t hey

are capable o f enj oying a malicious o r misan
t hr o pi c pleasure like M andeville and S wift
, ,
42 2 ON TH E AV ER S ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
in detecting and exposing the degradation o f

our nature it is n ot wonderful that they should
,
be prompt to entertai n the sentiments which

msm u a t e a much more flattering estimate O ur .
elegant a n d amusing moralists no doubt copi

o u sl describe an d censure the follies and vices
y
o f mankind ; but many of these they maintain
, ,
are accidental to the human character rather ,
than a disclosure of intrin sic qu alities O thers .
do I ndeed spring r adically from the natu re ; bu t

they are only the wild weeds o f a virtuous soil .
M an is still a very dignified and n oble being ,
with strong dispositions to all excellence hold ,
ing a proud eminence I n the ranks o f existence ,
and (if such a Being is adverted to ) high I n the

favour o f his C reator The measure o f virtue in
.
the world vastly exceeds th at of depravity ; w e .
sh ould not indulge a fanatical rigour in o u r

j udgments of mankind ; nor be always reverting
to an ideal perfection ; n o r accustom ourselves
to contemplate the Almighty always in the dark
m aj esty of j ustic e —
N one of their S peculations
seem to acknowledge the gloo my fact which the
N ew Testament so often asserts or implies that
”
,
all men are by nature children o f wrath .
It is quite o f course that among sentiments o f

this order the idea o f the redemption by Jesus
,
C hrist (if any allusion to it should occur ) ,
can but appear with an equi v ocal import and

”
,
shorn O f the beams which constit u te the

peculiar light of his own revelation While man .
is not c o n sI der e d as lost the mind cannot do

,
j ustice to the expedient or to the only name

”
,
under heaven by which he can be redeemed

,
.
Accordingly the gift o f Jesus C hrist does not

,
appear to be habitually recollected as the most

illustrious instance of the b en e fic e n c e of G od
that has come within human knowledge and ,
a s the fact which has contributed m o r e t ha n all
others to relieve the oppressive awful n ess of t he

mystery in which our world is enveloped N o .
thankfu l j oy seems to awake at the thought o f

so mighty a n int e rposition a n d of him whose ,
'
sublime appointment it w a s to undertake and

accomplish it When it is diffi c u lt to avoid
.
’
making some allusion to him he i s acknow ,
ledg ed rather in any of his sub ordinate charac

ters than as abs olutely a R edeemer ; or if the
,
term R edeemer or our S aviour 1 s I ntroduc ed

, , , ,
it is done as with a certai n m a pt i t u de to pro

n ounce a foreign appellative ; as w ith a some
what irksome feeling a t falling in momentary

contact with language so specifically of the
christian school And it is done in a manner
.
which betrays that the author does n ot mean

,
al l that he feels some dubious intimation that

such a term should mean Jesus C hrist i s .
.
regarded rather as having added to o u r moral

advantages than as having conferred that with
,
out whi c h all the rest w ere in vain ; rather as

'
having m ade the passage to a happy fu turity

somewhat more commodious than as having
.
,
'
42 4 ON TH E A ERV S ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
formed the passage itself over what was else

an impassable gulf Thus that comprehensive
.
s u m o f blessings called in the N ew Testament

,
S alvation o r R edemption is shrunk into a c o m

, ,
a r a t i v e l inconsiderable favour which a less

p y ,
glorious messenger might have brought which ,
a less magnificent lan guage than that dictated

by inspiration might have described and which ,
a less costly sacrifice might have secured .
It is consistent with t his delusive idea o f

human nature and these crude and faint and
, , ,
narrow conceptions o f the christian economy ,
that these writers commonly represent felicity

hereafter as the pure reward o f merit I believe .
you will find this as far a s any allusions are made

,
to the subj ect the prevailing opinion through

,
the school of polite literature Y o u will perceive .
it to be the real opinion of many writers w ho

do sometimes advert in some phrase employed
,
by w a y o f respectful ceremony to our n a t i on a l

c r eed to the work o r sacrifice of C hrist
,
.
I might remark 0 11 the antichristian m otives

t o action which are sanctioned and inspirited by
many of these authors ! I will only notice o n e ,
the love of glory ; that is the desire of being ,
distinguished admired and praised

, ,
.
N o one will think o f such a thing as bringing

the christian laws i n absolute prohibition o f
o u r desire to possess the favourabl e opinion o f
o u r fellow men In the first place a material

.
,
portion of human happiness depends o n the a t

t a c hm e n t o f relations and friends and it i s right ,
fo r a man to wish fo r the happiness resulting

from such attachment And since the degree in .
which he will Obtain it must depend very much

.
,
on the higher o r lo w er estimate which these

persons entertain o f his qualities and abilities ,
it is right for him to W lSll while he endeavours ,
to deserve t hat their estimate may b e high i n

, ,
order that he may enj oy a large share o f their

affection .
In the n ext place it is too plai n to be worth

,
an Observation that if it were possible fo r a m a n

,
to desire the respect and admiration o f mankind

purely as a mean o f giving a greater e fficacy to
his e fforts fo r their w elfare and fo r the promo ,
tion o f the cause o f heaven while he would be ,
equally gratified that any other man in whose ,
han ds this mean would have exactly the same

e ffect should obtain the admiration instead o f
,
himself this would be something eminently

,
more than innocent ; it would be the a p o t he

osis of a passion which in its ordinary quality
deserves n o better denomination than vanity .
But where is the example ?

I n the third place as the C reator has included
,
this desire in the essential constitution o f o u r

nature he intended i t s gratification in some
, ,
limited degree to be a direct and immediate

,
cause o f pleasure The good Opinion o f man

.
kind expressed i n praise or indicated by any

, ,
42 6 O N T HE AV E R S ION OF ME N OF TA S TE
other S ig n s pleases u s by a law of the Same

,
order as that which constitutes mutual a ffection

a pleasure or that which is the cause that we
,
are gratified by music or the beauties and gales

,
o f spring The indulgence of this desire is thus

;
authorized to a certain extent by its appoint

, ,
ment to be a source of pleasure .
But to what extent ? It is notorious that this

desire has if I may so express it an immense
, ,
voracity It has within itself no natural prin

.
ci l e Of li mitation since it i s incapable o f being

p ,
gratified to satiety A whole continent applaud

.
’
ing or admiring has n ot satisfied some men s
avarice of what they called glory T o what .
extent I repeat may the desire be indulged ?

, ,
E vide n tly not beyond that point where it begins

‘
t o i n t r o du c e its evil accesso ries envy or unge

.
, ,
nero n s competition o r resentful m o r ti fic a t i o n

, ,
o r disdai n ful comparison o r self idolatry , But I -

.
appeal to each man Wh o ha s deeply reflected on

himself o r observed those around him whether
, ,
this desire under even a considerably limited

degree o f indulgence be not very apt to intro
duce some o f these accessories and whether in ,
order to preclude them from his o w n mind he ,
have not at times felt it necessary to impose on

this desire a restraint almost a s unqualified as
if he had been aiming to suppress it altogether .
In wishing to prohibit an ex c ess of its indulgence ,
he has perceived that even what had seemed to

him a smal l degree has amounted o r powerfully ,
ten ded to that excess except when the desire

,
—
has been operating under the kindly and a p

proved modification o f seeking to engage the
,
affection of relations or a few friends The .
measure therefore O f this passio n compatible ,
wit h the best condition o f the mind will be ,
found to be exceedingly limited .
Again the desire cannot b e cherished with

,
ou t becoming a motive of action exactly in the

degree in which it is cherished No w if the .
’
most authoritative among a good man s motives
of actio n must be the wish to please G o d it is ,
evident that the passion which supplies another

motive ought not to be allowed in a degree that
,
will empower the motive thus put in force to

contest in the mind the supremacy o f the pious
, ,
motive But here again I appeal t o the r efle c

.
, ,
tive man of conscience whether he have not ,
found that the desire O f human applause i n ,
du lge d in only such a degree as he had not fo r ,
a while suspected of being immoderate may b e

, ,
a motive strong eno ugh n ot only to maintain a

rivalry with what should be the supreme motive ,
but absolutely to prevail over it In each pur .
suit O r performance in which he ha s excelled ,
or endeavoured to excel has he n ot so metime s ,
b ee n forced to Obser ve with indignant grief that

, ,
his t houghts much more promptly adverted to

human praise than t o divine approbation ? And
,
when he has been able in some m e asure to r e

’
pres s the passion has he n ot fou n d that a slight
,
-
42 8 ON TH E AV E RS IO N OF MEN OF TA S T E
stimulus was competen t t o res t ore its impious

ascendency —N ow what is it that should follow
f om these Observations
r ? What can it be a s a ,
general inference but p lainly this that t houg h

, ,
the desire o f human applause if it could be a ,
calm closely limited and sub ordinate feeling

, , ,
would be consistent with christian virtue ; yet ,
since it so mightily tends to an excess de st r u c ,
tive o f t he very essence o f that virtue i t ought , ,
( excepting in the cases where human estimation

i s sought as a mean toward some valuable end ) ,
to be opposed and repressed i n a manner NO T

M U C H L E SS general and uncondi t ional than if it
were purely evil ? The special inference avail ,
able to the desig n o f t his essay is that so much , ,
of our literature a s o n the contrary ten ds to

, ,
animate the passion with new force is most ,
pernicious .
These assertions are certainly i n the S pirit

of the N ew Testamen t which n o t exacting a
, ,
total extinction o f the love o f human applause ,
yet all u des to most of its Operations wi t h cen

sure exhibits probably no approved instance
, , ,
o f its indulgence and abounds with e mp ha t i

,
cally cogent representations both o f i t s per ,
n i c i o u s influence when it predo m inates and o f ,
i t s p owerful tendency t o acquire the p r e do m i

nance . The honest disciple o f that divine
school being at t he same time a self observer
,
-
,
wil lbe convinced that the degree beyond which

the passion is not tolerated by the christian law ,
is a degree which it will b e sure to reach and to

exceed in his mind in spite o f the most systema
tical opposition The most resolute and perse
.
v e ri n repression will sti l

l leave much o f this
g s o
passion as christianity will pron ounce a fault o r

a vice He will be anxio u s to assemble i n aid
.
,
of the repressive discipline all the arguments of

,
reason all striking examples and all the inter

, ,
dictions o f the Bible .
No w I think I cannot be mistaken in assert

ing that a great maj ority o f our fine writers
,
have gon e directly c ounter to any such doc

trine and discipline NO advocate will venture
.
to deny that they have commended and insti

,
gated the love o f applause of fame of glory , , ,
o r whatever it may be called in a degre e which , ,
if the preceding representation be just places ,
them in pointed hostili t y to the christian reli

gion S ometimes indeed when it was the pla
.
, ,
n et a r
y hour fo r high philosophy o r when they ,
were in a splene t ic mood occasioned perhaps ,
by some chagrin O f disapp ointed vanity they ,
have acknowledged and even very rhetorically

,
exposed the I n a n lt y o f this same glory M ost

, .
o f o u r ingenious authors have i n one place or ,
another been moral o r satirical at the expense

,
of what P ope so aptly denominates the fool

to fame They perceived the truth b ut as the
.
,
truth did not make them free they were willing ,
after all to dign i fy a passion to which they felt

themselves irretrievable S laves And they have .
4 30 ON TH E AV E RS I ON OF MEN OF TA S T E
laboured to do it by celebrating with every ,
S plendid epithet the men w ho were impelled by

,
this passion through the career in which they

were the idols o f servile mankind and their
o w n ; by describing glory as the best incentive
to noble actions and their worthiest reward ;

,
by placing the temple o f V irtue ( proud station

o f the goddess
) in the situation to be a m ere
introduction t o that Of F ame ; by lamenting that
so few and their unfortunate selves n o t o f the
,
number can climb the steep where that proud

,
temple S hines afar and by i ntimating a charge

o f meanness o f spirit against those w ho have ,
n o generous ardour to distinguish themselves

from the crowd by deeds calculated an d de
,
s1g n e d t o pitch them aloft i n gazi n g ad miration

'
.
If sometimes the ungracious recollection strikes

them and seems likely to strike their readers
, ,
that this admiration is provokingly capricious

and perverse S ince me n have gained it without
,
rightful claims and lost it without demerit and

, ,
'
since all ki n ds o f fools have o ffered the incense

to all kinds o f villains they escape from the ,
disgust and from the benefit Of this recollection

by saying that it is hon our a ble fame that noble
,
spirits seek ; for they despise the ignorant mul

t i t u de and seek applause by none but worthy
,
actions and from none b u t worthy j udges Al

,
.
most every o n e o f these writers will sometimes ,
perhaps advert to the approbation o f the Su

,
preme Being a s what wise and good men will

,
value most ; but such a n occasional acknow

ledgment feebly counteracts the e ffect o f many
glowing sentim ents and descriptions of a c o n
t r a r y tendenc y — If this be a correct a n i m a dv e r
sion o n o ur p opular fine writers there can be n o ,
question whether they be likely to animate their

readers with christian motives o f action .
I will remark only o n o n e particular more ,
namely t he culpable license careless if n ot

, , ,
sometimes malignant taken by the lighter order

,
o f these writers and by some even o f the graver

, ,
in their manner of ridiculing the cant and extra

vaga nce by which hypocrisy fanaticism o r the , ,
peculiarities o f a sect or a period may h a ve di s ,
graced o r falsified christian doctrines S ome .
tim es indeed they have selected and burlesqued

, ,
m o des o f expression which were n ot cant and ,
whic h ignorance and impiety alone would have

dared t o ridicule And often in exposing to
.
,
cont empt the follies of notion or language or

manner s by which a christian o f good taste
,
de plo r e s t ha t the profession of the gospel should

i
e ver have b een deformed they take not the

,
smallest care to preserve a clear separation

between what taste and sense have a right to
explode and what piety b i ds t o reverence By
, .
this criminal carelessness ( to give it n o stronger

-
denomination ) they have fixed repulsive and

,
irreverent asso ciations on the evangelical truth

itself for which many persons when afterwar ds
, ,
43 2 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF M EN O F TA S TE
they have yielded their faith and a ffection to that

tr u th have had cause to wish that certain v o
,
lumes had gone into the fire instead o f coming ,
into their hands M any others w ho have not thus

.
,
become its converts retain the bad impression

,
unabated and cherish the disgust G ay writers

,
.
ought to know that this is dangerous ground .
I am sorry that this extended censure on

works of geni u s and taste co u ld not be prosecuted
with a more marked application and with more ,
discriminative references than the continual r e
“
petition O f the expressions elegant literature
and these writers
,
It might be a service o f
.
,
some value to the evangelical cause if a work ,
were w ritten containing a faithful estimate indi ,
vidually o f the most popular writers o f the last

,
century and a half in respect to the important

,
s u bj ec t o f these comments ; with formal citations

from some of their works and a candid statement
,
o f the general tendency o f others In an essay .
like this it i s impossible to make an enumeration

o f names or pass a j udgment except in a very
, ,
cursory manner o n any particular author E ven

,
.
the several c la sses o f authors which I mentioned ,
some time back a s coming under the accusation

, ,
shall detain yo u but a short time .
The M oral P hilosophers fo r the most part

seem anxious to avoid every thing that might
render them liable t o be m istaken fo r C hristian
D ivines . They regard their department as a
s cience complete in itself ; and they inves tigate

the foundation o f morality define its laws and , ,
af fi x its sanctions in a manner generally so much

,
a part from christianity that the reader would
“
,
a lmost conclude that religion to be a n other

science complete in i t selffi An en ti r e separa
tion it is true cannot well be pre served ; since
, ,
christianity has decided some moral questions

on whic h reason was dubious or silent ; and
since that final retribution which the N ew ,
Testament has so lumin ously foreshown brings ,
evidently the greatest o f sa n c t io ns T O make .
n o reference in the course of inculcating moral
principles t o a judgment t o come if there be

, ,
a n understood admission that it is actually r e
vealed would look like systematic irreligion

, .
But still it is striking to observe ho w small a

portion o f the ideas (relative to this and othe r
,
points o f the greatest moral interest ) which ,
distinguish the Ne w Testament from other

books many moral phi losophers have thought
,
indispensable to a theory in which they pro

fessed to include the su m of the duty and
“
9
Wh en ha pp ens som et im e s t ha t a m ora l t opic ha r dly
it ,
c a n b e di spos e d o f wi thou t som e r e cog i t ion of i t s involving

n ,
o r b e ing in t im a t ely conn e c t e d wi t h a theol

o i ca l doc t r in
g ,
i t e,
is curious t o no tic e wi t h wha t a n a i r of indi ffer enc e som e

, ,
wha t p ar t aking of con t e mp t on e of the s e wri t er s will O h

,
s erv e t ha t tha t view o f t he m a tt er is the busin e ss o f the

,
di v i n es wit h whos e de p a rt men t he do e s n o t pre t end t o

,
int erfere .
43 4 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN O F TA S TE
interests Of man A serious reader is con

.
strained to feel that either there is too much

in tha t book or too little in theirs
, He will .
perceive that in the inspired book the moral

, ,
principles are intimately interwoven with all

those doctrines which could not have been
known but through revelation He will fin d .
also in thi s superior book a v a st n u mb er of

, ,
°
ideas avowedly designed to interest the offic e
“
t i on s in favour o f all moral principles and virtues
”
The quickening spirit thus breathed among ,
.
what m ight else be dry and lifeless is draw n ,
from considerations of the divine mercy the ,
compassion of the R edeemer the assurance o f ,
aid from heaven in the di fficult strife to be what

the best principles prescribe the relationship ,
subsisting between good men on eart h and those

w ho are departed ; and other kindred topics ,
quite out Of the range to which the mere moral

l
preceptors appear t o hold themselves limited .
The system of morals as placed in the t e m

,
e r a t u r e of such considerations has the cha

p ,
r a c t er and e f fect of a di fferent zone Thus .

,
while any given virtue equally prescribed in the

,
treatise o f the moral philosopher and the chris

tian code woul d in mere definition be the same
,
in both the manner in which it bears o n the

,
heart and conscience must be greatly di fferent .
It is another di fference also Of momentous ,
consequence if it be found that the christian

,
doctrine declares the virtues o f a good man not

to be the cause of his accepta n ce with G o d ,
and that the philosophic moralists disclaim any

other O n the whole it must be concluded
.
,
that there cannot but be something very defe e

tive in that theory o f morality which makes
so slight an acknowledgment o f the religion
o f C hrist and takes so little of its peculiar
,
c ha r a c t er f The philosophers place the reli

gio n in the relatio n o f a diminutive sa tellite
to the sphere of moral interests ; usefu l a s
throwing a few rays on that side of it o n which
t he solar light of human wisdo m could not
directly shine ; but that it can impart a vital

warmth or clai m s to be acknowle dged para
,
mount i n dignity and influence some o f them ,
seem not to have a suspicion .
NO doubt innumerable reasonings and con

,
cl u si o n s may be advanced on moral subjects

which shall be tr ue o n a foundation o f their own ,
equally in the presence Of the evangelical sys

tem and in its absence Independently O f that
.
system it were easy to illustrate the utility

,
o f virtue the dignity which it co n fers o n a

,
rational being i ts accordance to the reas o n

”
,
and fitness of things its conformity and analogy

,
to much of what may be discerned in the order

of the universe It would also have b een easy
.
to pass from virtue in the abstract into an ,
illustration and enforcement o f the several

distinct virtues as arra nged in a practical
,
system . And if it should be a sked Why may ,
F F2
43 6 ON T HE AVE RS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
not some writers employ their speculations

on those parts and views of moral truth which
are thus independent of the gospel leaving ,
it to other men to christianize the whole by

the addition Of the evangelical relations motives , ,
and conditions — I readily answer that this may ,
sometimes very properly be done An auth o r .
may render good service by demonstrating ,
for instance the utility o f virtue in general o r

, ,
Of any particular virtue as S hown in its e ffect ,
on the prosperity of states o f smaller c o mm u ,
n i ti e s and o f individuals ; in its conduciveness

,
to health mental tranquillity social confidence

, , ,
and the like In doing this he would expressly

.
,
take a marked ground and aim at a specific ,
obj ect He would not ( o r sh o uld not ) let it be

.
imagined for a moment that such particular

views embrace all that is of essential interest
in the reasons and relations Of moral recti
tude It would be pla ihly un derstood that other
.
considerations O f the highest importance re c o g

, ,
n i si n
g in all
,
our Obligations to v irtue o u r rela ,
tions w ith G o d with a spiritual economy with , ,
a future life are indispensable to a complete

,
moral theory But the charge against the

.
moral philosophers is meant to be applied t o

those w ho not professing to have any such
,
specific and limited scope but assuming the ,
office of moralist in its most comprehensive

character and making themselves responsi b le
,
as teachers o f virtue in its whole extent have ,

To EVAN G E L I C A L RE L I G ION . 43 7
yet quite forgotten the vital implication of

ethical with evangelical truth .
When I mention our Historians it will i n ,
s t a n tl
y occur to you that the,
very foremost
n ames in this departmen t import every thing
that is deadly to the christian religion itself ,
as a divine communic ation a n d therefore lie ,
under a condemnation of a di fferent kind .
But may not many o the rs who would h ave ,
repelled the imputat ion o f being enemies to

the christi an cause be arraigned of having
,
forgotten what was du e from its friends ? The

historian intends his work to have the e ffect
of a series o f moral estimates o f the persons
whose actions he records ; n o w if he believes ,
that a Judge o f the world will come at le ngth ,
and pronounce o n the very characters that his

w ork adjudges it is one of the pla inest dictates
,
of good sense that all the a wards of the his

,
to rian should be faithfully coincident with the

judgments which m a y be expected ultimately
from that supreme authority Those distinctions
.
Of character which the historian applauds as

v irtues
,
or censures a s vices S hould be exactly
,
the same qualities which the language already

,
heard from that Judge certifies us that he will

approve or condemn It i s worse than foolis h
.
to erect a literary court o f morals and human

character of which the maxims the lan guage
, , ,
t he decisions ,
and the j udges will be equally ,
438 ON TH E AV ERS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
the Obj ects of contempt before Him whose i n ,
t el ligen c e w ill instantly distinguish and place in

light the right and the wrong o f all time What .
a wretched abasement will overwhelm on that

da y some o f the pompo u s historians w ho were ,
called by others and accounte d by themselves

, ,
the high authoritative cen sors of an age and ,
whose v erdict was to fix on each name per

e t u a l honour or infamy if they shall find
p ,
m an y o f the questions and the decisions o f

that tribunal proceed on principles which the y
would have been ashamed t o apply o r never ,
took the trouble to understand Ho w will

.
they be confounded if some of the men whom

,
they had extolled are consigned to ignominy

, ,
and some that they had despised are applauded ,
by the voice at which the world will tremble

and be silent But such a sa d humiliation may
.
,
I think be apprehe n ded for many o f the his

,
t o r i a n s by every serious christian reader w ho

,
S hall take the hint o f this subj ect along with

him through their works He will not seldom
.
feel that the writers seem uninformed while ,
they remark and decide o n actions and cha

r a c t er s that a final L awgiver has
,
come from
heaven or that he will come o r on what a c
, ,
count he will com e yet once more Their very

, .
diction Often abjures the plain christian deno

m i n a t i o n s o f good and evil ; n or do I need to
recount the specious and fallacious terms which
they have employed in thei r place Ho w then .
c an a mind which learns to think in their

m anner learn at the s a me time to think in hi s
,
from Whom it will however be found no light , ,
matter to have dissented when his judgment ,
shall be declared for the last time in this

world ?
The va rious interesting sets of short E ssays ,
with the S pectator and R ambler at their head ,
must have had a very considerable influence ,
during a season at least and not yet e ntirely ,
extinct o n the moral taste of the public

, .
P erhaps however it is too late in the day for

, ,
an
y interest to be taken in religious animad
versions which might with propriety have been
v entured upon the S pectator when it was the
“
,
ge n eral and familiar favourite with the reading

portion of the c o mmu n i t yfi A work Of such wide
Wi thin hir ty or for t y y ear s a n te c e de n t t o t he da te

t he t
o f the pr e s e n t e di t ion a n d e ve
,
wi thin the shor t er in t erva l
n
sinc e the slight r e m arks in the t e x t w ere writt en th er e ha s ,
b e en a s u r prising cha ng e in t he t on e o f ou r l i t era t ur e a n d ,
in t he public t a s t e which i t bo t h consul t s an d for ms T he .
smoo th el ega nc e t he g entle gr a c e s t he a musing ea sy a n d

, , , ,
n o t d eep curr en t o f en t im e n t o f which Addi son i s o u r fin e s t

s ,
e x a mp l e ha v e com e t o b e r e g a r de d a s l a ngui d
,
a n d a lm o s t ,
insipi d ! a n d t he p a ssion i s for forc e en ergy bold de velop e

, ,
m e nt o f p r incipl e s a n d e v ery kin d O f high s t im u lus

,
T hi s .
ha s b een the in e vi t abl e a ccomp a nim e n t of t he pro digious

commo t ion in t he s ta t e of the worl d the r ousing of the ,
g en era l m i nd from i t s long l e th a rgy t o a n a ct ivi ty an d a n

,
e x er t ion o f pow e r whi ch no thing ca n

q u e ll which is de s t in e d
,
440 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF M EN or TA S T E
compass and avowedly assuming th e o ffice

,
of guardian and teacher o f all good principles ,
gave fair opportunities for a christian writer

to introduce excepting what is strictly termed
,
scien ce a little of every subj ect a ffecting the

,
condition and happiness of men Why then .
was it fated that the stupendous circumstance

o f t he redemption by the M essiah of which the ,
importance is commensurate with the whole

interests of m a n with the value O f his immort a l
,
spirit with the government o f his C reator in

,
this world and with the happiness of eternity

, ,
should n o t a fe w times in the long course and ,
extensive moral jurisdiction of that work be ,
to a con tinu ally a ugm enti g op era t ion till the condi tion o f
n
t he world b e ch a nge d T his n e w spiri t o f o u r li t e r a t ur e is a

.
grea t a dva n t a ge g a in ed ; b u t g a in ed a t a gri e vous cos t ; for

w e h a v e in i t s t ra i n a n i m m e ns e qu a n t i t y O f a ffe c t a t ion ! a l l
sor t s a n d S i z e s of a u thors mus t b e a iming a t vigour poin t , ,
bol d s t rok e s origin a li ty T he cons e qu enc e is a n a mpl

, .
, e
e xhibi t ion o f con t or t ion t ricks o f surpris e p a r a dox h e a d

, , ,
long da h fa c t it ious fulmin a t ion a n d t urgid in a ni t y I n

s , , .
som e o f the gross e s t ins ta nc e s thi s ap e o f m ental forc e a d

, n
fre e dom s ta r e s a n d wa gg ers a d spout s a h alf dru n keri

, s , n -
ra n t O n e wonde rs t o se e how much e ven som e of the

.
a bl e s t a mong the wri t e rs of t he pr es en t t im e s ha v e gon e in t o
t he b a d fa shio n ha v e di sc a r de d the m a sculin e simplici t y so

,
gra c eful t o in t ell e c t u a l po w er a n d spoil ed composi tion

,
s
a dm i r a bl e fo r vigorous t hin king by a con t inu a l a f fe c t a t ion ,
a s if d e t e rmin e d t h a t t he
“
which c a rri e s th e m a long in a da shin g c a p erin g sort o f s tyl e
”
m a rch of in tell e c t sha ll b e a
,
da nc e t o a fi ddl e .
TO EVAN G E LI C AL R E L I G ION . 441
se t forth in the most explicit uncompromisin g

, ,
and solemn manner in the fu ll aspect and

,
i mportance which it bears in the christian reve

lation with the directness and emphasis of
,
apostolic fidelity ? Why should not a few o f

the m ost peculiar o f the doctrines co mprehended ,
in the primary o n e o f salvation by the M ediator ,
have been clothed with the fascinating elegance

o f Addison ,
from whose pen many persons
would have received an occasional evangelical
lesson with incomparably more candour than
from any professed divine ? A pious and b e
n ev ol en t man such as the avowed advocate
,
o f christianity ought to he should n o t have

,
been contented that so many thousands of

m inds as his writings were adapted to instruct
and to charm should have bee n left for any
, ,
thing that he very unequivocally attempted to

the contrary in his most popular works to end ,
a life which he had contributed to refine a c ,
u a i n t e d but slightly with the grand security

q
o f happiness after death O r if it could not be
.
deemed his duty to introduce in a formal man

ner any o f the most specifically evangelical
subj ects it might at least have been expected
, ,
that some of the many serious essays scattered

through the S pectator should have more Of a
christian strain more recognition o f the great
,
oracle in the speculations concerning the D eity

, ,
and the gravest moral subj ects There might .

,
w ithout hazard O f symbolizing with the dreaded

4 42 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF M EN O F TA S T E
fa n a t i c is m o f the
preceding age have been more ,
assimilation o f what may be called as it n o w ,
stands a liter a ry fashion o f religion to the

, ,
spirit o f the Ne w Testament F rom him also .

,
a s a kin d o f dictator among the elega n t writers
o f the age it might have been expected that he

,
would se t himself with the same decision and

,
virtuous indignation which he made his C ato

display agai nst the betrayers o f R oman liberty
and la w s to denounce that ridicule which has
,
wounded religion by a careless o r by a crafty

m anner o f holding up i t s abuses to scorn ! but
o f this impropriety ( to u se an accommodating
term ) the S pectator itself is not free from

,
examples .
Addison wrote a book expressly in defence of

the religion Of C hrist ; but to be the dignified
advocate o f a cause and to be its humble dis ,
ci l
p e ,
may be very di f
f erent things An a dv o .
cate ha s a feeling o f making himself i m portant ;

he seems to c onfer something o n the cause ;
but as a disciple he must surrender t o feel
,
littleness humility and s u bmission

,
S elf i m
, .
-
portance might find more to gratify it in b e

coming the p a tr on o f a beggar than the ser v a n t ,
o f a potentate Addison w a s moreover very

.
, ,
u nfortunate fo r any thing like justice t o genuine

,
christianity in the class o f persons with whom

,
he associated and among whom he did not hold

,
his pre eminence by any such imperial tenure

-
,
as could make him careless o f the policy o f

To EV A N G E LICAL R E LIGI ON . 443
plea sing them by a general conformity o f se n

time n t . O ne can imagine W ith what a perfect
storm o f ridicule he would have been greeted ,
o n entering one of his celebrated co f fee ho u ses -
o f Wits on ,the day after he should have pub

lishe d in the S pectator a paper for instan c e o n
, ,
the necessity of bei n g devoted to the service o f

Jesus C hrist The friendship o f the world ought
”
.
t o be a pearl of great price for its cost is ,
very serious .
The powerful and lofty spirit o f Johnson was

fa r more capable of scorning the ridicule and ,
defying the Opposition o f wits and worldlings

, .
And yet his social life must have been greatly

unfavourable to a deep and simple consideration
o f christian truth and the cultivation of christian
,
sentiment M ight n o t even hi s imposing and

.
unchallenged ascendency itself betray him to

admit insensibly an injurious i n fluence o n his
, ,
m ind ?
He associated with men o f whom many
W ere very learned some extremely able b ut
, ,
comparatively few made any decided pr o fe ss1 o n

of piety ; and perhaps a considerable number
were such as would in other society have shown
a stro n g propensity to irreligion This however .
’
dared n o t to appear u ndisguisedly in Johnson s
presence ; and it is impossible not t o revere the
strength a n d noble severity that made it so
cautious But this constrained abstinence from
.
overt irreligion had the e ffect o f preventin g

the repugnance of his judgment and religious
444 ON TH E AVE RS ION OF MEN or T AST E
feelings to the frequent society o f men from

whom he would have recoiled if the real temper ,
o f their minds in regard to the most important

,
subj ects had been unreservedly forced on his

,
Vie w D ecorum toward religion being preserved

.
,
he would take no rigorously j udicialaccount of

the internal character of those who brought so ,
finely into play his mental powers and resources ,
in conversations o n literature moral philosophy , ,
and general intelligence ; and who could enrich

every matter of social argument by their learn
ing their genius or their knowledge o f man kind
, , .
But if while every thing unequivocally hostile to

,
christianity was kept silent in his company there ,
w a s nevertheless a latent impiety in possession

o f the heart it would inevitably
,
however u n o b ,
v i o u sl infuse something o f its spi rit into the

y ,
com munications o f such men And through .

,
the complacency wh ich he felt in the high

intellectual intercourse some infection of the
,
noxious element would insinuate its w a y into

his o w n ideas and feelings F or it is hardly pos
.
sible fo r the stro n gest and most vigilant mind ,
under the genial influence o f eloquence fancy , ,
novelty and bright intelligence interchanged

, ,
in amicable collision to avoid admitting some

,
ef fiu v i a ( if I may so express it ) breathing from

the most interior quality o f such associates and ,
tending to produce an insensible assimilation ;

especially if there should happen to be in a d ,
dition a conciliating exterior o f accomplishment

, ,
T o EV A N G E LICAL R E L I G ION . 445
grace and liberal manners Thus the very pre

, .
dominance by which Johnson could repress the

direct irreli gion of statesmen scholars wits
, , ,
and accomp lished men of the world might by , ,
retaining him their intimate or frequent asso

ciate subj ect him to meet the influence o f that
,
irreligion acting in a manner too indirect and

refined to excite either hostility or caution .
But indeed if his caution was excited there ,
might still be a possibility o f self deception in

-
the case The great achievement and conscious

.
merit of upholding by hi s authority a certain

, ,
standard of g ood principles among such men and ,
compelling an acquiescence at least wherever ,
he w a s present might tend to make himself feel

,
satisfied with that order o f sentiments though ,
materially lower than the standard which his

conscientious judgment must have adopted if he ,
had formed it under the advantage of long and

thoughtful retirement and exemption from the
influence of such associates It would be di ffi
.
cult for him to confess to himself that what w a s

high enough fo r a repressive dominat ion over
impiety might yet be below the level o f true
,
christianity It is hard for a man to suspect

.
himself deficient in that very thing in which he

not only excels other men but mends them
,
.
N othing can well be more unfortunate fo r chris

tian attainments even in point o f right judg
,
m ent than to be habitually in society where a

,
man will feel as if he held a saintly eminence of

446 ON TH E AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
character in merely securing a decent neutrality ,
o r a semblance o f slight partial assent in other ,
words a forbearance of hostility t o that divine ,
law o f faith and morals which is set up over

,
that society and all mankind as the grand dis ,
t i n g u i she r between those who are in light and

those Who are in darkness those who are a p,
proved and those who are condemned ; and

which has been sent on earth with a demand ,
not o f this worthless non aggression b u t of -

,
cordial entire addiction and devoted zeal .
If there be any truth in the representations

which make so large a part of this essay JOhn ,
’
son s continual i mmersion in what is denominated
polite literature must have subj ected hi m to t he
,
utmost action and pervasion o f an influence of ,
which the antichristian e ffec t cannot be neutra

liz e d without a more careful study than we
,
have reason to believe he gave o r even had ,
time to give to the doc trine o f religion as a

,
distinct independent subj ect .
It must however be admitted that this illus

trio n s a u thor who though here mentioned only
, ,
in the class of essayists is t o be ranked among

,
the greatest moral philosophers is less at vari ,
ance with the essentials of the christian economy ,
than the very great maj ority o f either O f these

classes Of authors His speculations tend in a
.
far less degree to beguile the approving and

admiring reader into a spirit which feels repelled
,
in estrangement and disgust o n turning to the

instructions of C hrist and hi s apostles ; and he

has mor e explicit and solemn references to the
grand purpose of human life t o a future judg ,
ment and to eternity than almost any other o f

, ,
our e l egant moralists has had the piety o r the

courage to make There i s so much that most
powerfully coincides and cooperates with chris
tian truth that the disciple o f christianity the
,
more regrets to meet occasionally a sentiment ,
respecting perhaps the rule to j udge by in the

, ,
review of life the consolations in death the

, ,
e ffect of repentance or the terms of acceptance

,
with G od which he cannot reconcile with the

,
evangelical theory nor with tho se pri nciples of

,
christian faith in which Johnson avowed his

belief In such a writer he cannot but dee m
.
such deviations a matter of grave culpability .
O mission is hi s other fault Though he did

.
introduce in hi s serious speculations more dis

tinct allusions to religious ideas than most other
moralists yet he did not introduce them so
,
~
often as may be claimed from a writer who

frequently carries seriousness to the utmost
pitch o f solemnity There scarcely ever w a s
.
an aut hor n o t formally theological in whose

, ,
works a large proportion o f explicit christian

sentiment was m ore requisite fo r a consistent e n _
t i r e n e ss o f c ha r a c t e r t ha n in the moral writings

, _
o f Johnson No writer ever more completely

.
exposed and blasted the folly and vanity of the

greatest number Of human pursuits The visage .
44 8 ON TH E AV ERS ION OF MEN OF TA S TE
of M edusa could not have darted a more fatal

glance against the tribe of gay t r i fler s the c o m ,
e t i t o r s of ambition the proud exhibiters in

p ,
the parade of wealth the rhapsodists o n the

,
s u fficien c y of what they call philosophy for hap

p i n e ss the grave consumers of life in useless s e
, p
c ul a ti o n s a n d every other order o f walkers in
”
,
a vain S how . His j udicial sentence is directed ,
as with a keen and mephitic blast o n almost all ,
the most favourite pursuits o f mankind But .
it was so much the more p eculiarly his duty to

insist with fulness and emphasis on that o n e
, ,
model o f character that one grand employment

,
of life which is enj oined by heaven and will

, ,
stand the test o f that unshrinking severity o f

j udgment which S hould be exercised by every
,
one who looks forward to the test which he is

finally to abide N o author has more impres
.
si v e l displayed the misery o f human life ; he

y
laid himself under so much the stronger obliga
tion to unfold most explicitly the only e ffectual
consolations the true scheme o f felicity as far as
,
it is a ttainable on earth and that delightful

,
prospect of a better region which has so often,
inspired exultation in the most melancholy situ

a ti o n s . NO writer has more expressively illus
t ra t e d the rapidity o f time and the shortness o f
,
life ; he ought so much the more fully to have

dw elt on the views o f that great fu turity at
which his readers are admonished by the illus
t ra t i o n that they will speedily arrive N o writer .
can make more poignant reflections on the

pains of guilt ; was it not indispensable that he
S hould Oftener have directed the mind su ffering
this bitterest kind o f distress to that great sacri
fic e once O ffered for sin NO writer represents
with more striking mortifying humiliating truth
, ,
the failure of hu man resolutions and the fee ,
b len e ss of human e fforts in the contes t with

,
corrupt propensity evi l habit and adapted

, ,
temptation ; w hy did not this melancholy o h

servation and experience prompt a very frequ ent
recollection and emphatical expression of the
,
importance o f that assistance from o n high

, ,
without which the divine word has S O often re

e a t e d the warning that our labours will fail ?
p
In extending the censure t o theP oets it is ,
gratifying to meet an exception in the most

’
elevated of all th eir tribe M ilton s consecrated
.
genius might harmoniously have mingled with

the angels that announced the M essiah to be
come or that on the spot and at the moment
, ,
o f his departur e predicted his coming again ;

,
might have shamed to silence the muses of

paganism ; or softene d the pains of a christian
martyr P art of the poetical works o f Young
. ,
those of Watts and of C owper have placed

, ,
them among the permanent benefactors of

mankind ; as owing to them there is a popular
p oetry in the true spirit o f christianity a poetry
which has imparted and is destined t o impart
, ,
GG
45 0 ON THE AV E RS ION OF MEN OF TA S T E
the best sentiments to innu merable minds .
Works o f great poetical genius that should be

thus faithful to true religion might be regarded
,
as trees by the S ide o f tha t river of the water

o f life ,
having i n their fruit and foliage a virtue
to contribute to the healing o f the nations .
B u t on the supposition that there were a man

sufficiently discerning impartial and i n defa ti
, ,
gable fo r a research throughout the general

body of o u r poetical literature it would be cu
,
'
rio n s to se e what kind o f religious syst em a n d ,
what account of the state o f man as viewed ,
under moral estimate and in relation to the

,
fu ture destiny would be afforded by a digested

,
assemblage of all the most marked sentiments ,
supplied by the vast maj ority o f t he poets for ,
such a scheme of moral and religious doctrine .
—B u t if it would be exceedingly amusing to
observe the process and the fantastic result it ,
would in the next place be very sa d to consider ,
that these fallacies have been insinuated by the

c harms o f poetry into countless thousands o f
minds with a beguilement that has first di
, , ,
verted them from a serious attention to the

’
gospel then confirmed them in a habitual dis

,
like Of it and finally operated to betray some

,
o f them to the doom which beyond the grave , ,
awaits the neglect o r rej ection o f the religio n

o f C hrist .
Yo u have prob a bly seen P ope cited as a chris

tian poet by some pious authors whose anxiety
, ,
TO E VAN G E L I C A L R E LIGI ON . 45 1
to impress reluctant genius into an appearance

of favouring christianity has credulously seized ,
o n any occasional verse which seemed an echo ,
O f the sacred doctrines N0 reader can exceed

.
me in admiring the discriminative thought the ,
shrewd moral observation the finished and feli ,
citons execution and the galaxy of poetical

,
beauties which combine to give a peculiar lustre

,
to the writings O f P ope But I cannot refuse .
to perceive that almost every allusio n in his

,
lighter works to the names the facts and the , ,
topics that specially belong to the religion o f

,
C hrist is in a style and S pirit of profane banter

,
and that in most of his graver ones where he

, ,
meant to be dignified he took the utmost care,
to divest his thoughts of a ll the mean vulgarity

o f christian associations O ff ye profa ne ! .
“ ,
might seem t o have been his sign al to all evan

el i l ideas when he began his E ssay M an
g c a , o n ;
and they were obedient and fled ; for if you ,
detac h the detail and illustrations so a s to lay ,
bare the outline and general principles o f the

W ork it will stand confest an elaborate attempt
,
to redeem the whole theory o f the condition and

interests o f man both in life and death from all
, ,
the explan a tions imposed o n it by an u n philo

sophical revelation from heaven And in t he .
happy riddance o f this despised t hough celestial

light it exhibits a sort o f moon light Vision o f
,
-
,
thin impalpable abstractions at which a spe en ,
la ti st ma y gaze with a dubious wo n der whether

,
45 2 ON TH E AV E RS I ON OF M EN O F TA S T E
they be realities o r phantoms ; but which a

practical man will in vain try to seize and turn
to account ; and which an evangelical man will
disdain to accept in exchange fo r those forms o f
truth which his religion brings to hi m as real
living friends instructors and consolers ; which
, ,
present themselves to him at his return from ,
a pr o fitless adventure in that S hadowy dreary

region with an e ffect like that of meeting the
,
countenances O f his a ffectionate domestic asso

ciates on hi s awaking from the fantastic su c
,
cession o f vain e fforts and perplexities among ,
strange Obj ects incide n ts a n d people in a

, , ,
bewildering dream Bu t what de ference to .

-
christianity was to be expected when such a ,
m a n as Bolingbroke w a s the genius whose i m

parted S plendour was to illuminate and the ,
demigod whose approbation w a s to crown the

*
,
labours which according to the wish and pre

,
sentiment o f the poet , were to conj oin these

two Venerable names in endless fame
If it be said for some parts o f these di m
speculations that tho u gh christianity comes for
,
ward as the practical dispensation O f truth yet ,
there must be i n remote abstraction behind

, ,
some grand ultimate elementary truths which

, , ,
this dispensation does n o t recognise but even ,
intercepts from o u r View by a system Of less

refined elements in which doctrines o f a more
,
’
He is so n a m ed som ewhere in P op e s work s .
TO E VANG E L LC A L R E LIGI ON . 45 3
contracted palpable and popular form Of c o m

, , ,
a r a ti v e l local purport and relation are i m

p y ,
posed i n substitution for the higher and more

g eneral and abstracted truths — I answer And ,
what did the poet or the master Of the poet

”
,
and the song know about those truths and

,
how did they come by their information ” ,
A serious observer must acknowledge with

regret that such a class of productions as
,
novels in which folly ha s tried to please in a

,
greater number Of shapes than the poet enu

m e ra t e s in the P aradise o f F ools is capable o f ,
producing a very considerable e ffect o n the mora l

taste o f the community A large proportion of .
them however are probably o f t o o slight and

insipid a consistence to have any more specifi c
counteraction to christian principles than that of
m ere folly in general ; excepting indeed that
the most fli msy o f them will occasionally con
tribute their mite o f mischief by alluding to a ,
christian profession In a m anner that identifies

,
it with the cant by which hypocrites have aped

it or the extra va gance with which fanatics have
,
inflated or distorted it But a great a n d direct

.
force of counteracti ng influence is emitted from

those which eloquently display characters of
,
eminent vigour and virtue when it is a virtue ,
having no basis i n religion ; a factitious thing

res ulting fro m the mixture of dignified pride
with generous feeli n g ; or constituted of t hose
454 ON TH E AV ER S IO N OF MEN OF TA S T E
philosophical principles which are too Ofte n

accompanied in these works by an avowed or
, ,
strongly intimated contempt o f the inter ference

o f any religion especially the christian If the
, .
case is mended in some o f these production s

into which a n awkward religion has found its
w a y it is rather because the characters excite
,
less interest of any kind than because any ,
which they do excite is favour a ble to religion .
NO reader is likely to be impressed with the

dignity of being a christian by s eeing in o n e ,
of these works an attempt to combine that ,
character with the fine gentleman by means o f ,
a most ludicrous apparatus of amusements and

s a c raments churches and theatres morning
, ,
prayers and evening balls N or will it perhaps -

.
be of an y great service to the christian cause ,
that some others o f them pro fess t o exempli fy

and defend a g a i n st t he cavils and scorn o f
,
i n fidels a religion of which i t does not appear

,
that the writers would have discovered the

merits had it not been established by law O ne
,
.
may doubt whether any one will be more than

amused by the venerable priest who is intro ,
du c e d probably among libe rtine lords and giddy

girls to maintain the sanctity o f terms and
, ,
attempt the ill u stration o f doctrines which ,
these well meaning writers do not perceive that

-
’
the worthy gentleman s college diocesan and , ,
library have but very imperfectly enabled him

,
to understan d If the reader even wished t o be

.
TO EV A NG E LICAL R E L I G IO N . 45 5
more than amused it is easy to imagine ho w

,
much he would be likely to be I nstructed and

a ffected by such an illustration o r de fence of
,
the christian religion as the writer of a fashion

,
able novel would deem a gracefu l o r ad missible

expedient fo r filling u p his plot .
O ne cannot close such a review of our fine

writers without melancholy reflections That .
cause which will raise all its zealous frie n ds to a

sublime eminence o n the last and most solemn
day the world has to behold and will make ,
them great for ever presented its claims full i n

,
sight of each O f these authors in his time The .
very lowest of those claims could not be less

than a co n scientious solicitude to be ware of
every thing that could in any point injure the
sacred cause This claim has been slighted by
.
s o many as have lent attraction to an order of
moral sentiments greatly discordant wit h its

principles And so many are gone into eter
.
n it
y under the charge of having employed their
genius as the magicians their enchantments
,
against M oses to counteract the S aviour of the

,
world .
Under what restrictions then ought the study

, ,
o f polite literature to be conducted ? I cannot

but have foreseen that this question must return
at the end O f these observations and I am sorry
to have no better answer to give than before ,
when the question came in the way i n c o n v en i ,
ently enough to perplex the conclusion to be

,
45 6 ON TH E A VE RSI ON OF M EN OF TA S TE ,
8m .
drawn from the consideration s o n the tendency

o f the classical literature P o lite literature will .
necessarily continue to be a large department

o f the grand school of intellectual and moral
cultivation The evils t herefore which i t may

.
contain will as certainly affect in some degree

,
the minds of the successive pupils and teachers ,
also as the hurtful influence o f the climate or

, ,
of the seasons will affect their bodies T O be

,
.
thus affected is a part o f the des tin y under

,
which they are born in a civilized country It , .
is indispensable to acquire the advantage ; it

is inevit able to incur the evil The means Of .
counteraction will amount it is to be feared , ,
to no more than palliatives N or c a n these be .
proposed in any specific method All that I .
can do is to urge on the reader o f taste the

, ,
very serious duty of continually recalling his

m ind and if he be a parent o r preceptor of
,
”
,
cogentl y representing to those he instructs the ,
real character o f religion as exhibited in the

christian revelation and the reasons which c o m
,
mand an inviolable adherence to it .
F I NIS .
’
R . C L A Y , P R I NT L R , B R F A D S T R E E T H ll L , C HE A P S I D F o
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EssaysinaSeriesofLetters 10000650

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E S S AY S

P E RHAP S it will be thought that pieces

been denominated L etters ; it may therefore

because they were actually addressed t o a

i n tention to put them in print if W hen they

were ﬁnished the writer could persuade him

self that they deserved i t ; and the temper of

When he began these letters his intention ,

w a s to conﬁne himself within such limits that ,

essays o n t w elv e o r ﬁfteen subjects might be

so n arr o w a space would exclude many illus

w hich would be i n tr o duced .

It will not seem a very natural manner

to enter formally o n a subj ect in the ﬁrst

du c t o r y letter ; but as it was written i n the

as not being adapted t o precede what is exe

When writing which has occupied a con

considerable intervals of time which is a lso

on very di fferent subj ects and was perhaps ,

meditated under the inﬂuence o f di fferent cir

cession and close comparison make the writer

reason to apprehend that the spirit o f the

third may appear so different fro m that o f the

like inconsistency The second may be thought

to have an appearance o f representing that a

that he can e ffect scarcely an y thing But .

the Writer would sa y that the one does not

assert th e efﬁ cacy o f hu m an resolution and

evidence o f history and familiar experience

within certain limits ( strait ones indeed ) an

enlightened and resolute human spirit has great

measure s of things Within a small sphere ;

conditions and att empting to extend its agency

over a much wider sphere shall ﬁnd i t s power

b a ﬂ e d and annihilated till it draws back W ithi n

the boundary N ow the great power of the

human mind within the narrow limit b e i n g fo r -

c i bl and largely insisted o n at one time and

its impo tence beyond that limit at another , ,

the assemblage o f sentimen t s and e x empliﬁc a

real o r considerable exaggeration ) that power ,

alone will form apparently so strong a con

trast wi th the assemblage o f thoughts and facts

that on a superﬁcial view the two r epr e sen

appeals to the experience o f such thin king

t he pages in which they had endeavoured to

those in whic h they have endeavoured a strong

they have n o t felt a momentary difficulty to

st a n t i a l justness of both The whole doctrine

on any extensive moral subj ect n ecess a rily

fe c tly true and yet m a y req u ire in order to

collection of many intermediate ideas .

In the fourth essay it was not intended to

take a comprehensive or systematic view of the

c i ﬁe d and slightly illustrated if the essay had

not been already too long .

As it is signiﬁed in the title page that the -

book is corrected in this edition it may,

ling to believe himself excused from an y re

petition of that kind of task . But when it

tio n by pointing out in various places

in the composition . This determined him to